Garner Asset Management Corp Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Garner Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,012.63 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $963.24 and a 200 day moving average of $955.18. The company has a market cap of $49.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.96, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.