W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Raised by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.7% during the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 67 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,485,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 721 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $734,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 3,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,279,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,329 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,508,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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 research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,043.20.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

GWW stock opened at $1,100.34 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $721.99 and a 12 month high of $1,129.92. The firm has a market cap of $53.99 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,030.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $969.76. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.