W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,003.71 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,067.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,074.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.