W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by YHB Investment Advisors Inc.

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,236 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $1.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $1,131.17. 167,126 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 277,024. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,124.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,061.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.