Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $1.21 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,167 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after buying an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $219,386,000 after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,043.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,090.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.12, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $687.55 and a 52-week high of $1,129.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,022.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $967.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.