ORG Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

ORG Partners LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 89.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $906,700,000 after acquiring an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,232,000 after acquiring an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $55,815,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.9% in the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 154,324 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $139,237,000 after purchasing an additional 47,053 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,053.05 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $826.55 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,140.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,043.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

About W.W. Grainger

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.