EP Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 1,010 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 14.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,041 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,038.81 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The firm has a market cap of $50.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $979.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $958.61. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $674.41 and a fifty-two week high of $1,049.02.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley started 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 objective on the stock. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

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.