Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Buys 27 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 27 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,113.05 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,131.22 and its 200 day moving average is $1,054.04. The firm has a market cap of $54.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $855.01 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.