Private Trust Co. NA Raises Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,456 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,513,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,357 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,500,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.4% during the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northeast Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $208,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $999.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,061.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,075.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $48.17 billion, a PE ratio of 25.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group began coverage on 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 W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger 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.