J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Takes $222,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the 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 transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

GWW opened at $1,105.07 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,035.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $971.79. The company has a market cap of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $747.00 and a 1 year high of $1,130.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.50%.

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.