Calton & Associates Inc. Buys 7,598 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Calton & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 798.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 7,598 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 1.5% of Calton & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Calton & Associates Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,825,000 after purchasing an additional 2,958 shares during the period. &PARTNERS acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $471,000. Austin Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $203,000. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 31.9% during the 1st quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,297,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $61,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s 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 owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,030.70.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,127.00 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $674.41 and a fifty-two week high of $1,128.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.12, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,008.79 and a 200-day moving average of $964.03.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

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.