Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 40 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 13,866 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $848,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.1% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,424,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,053.05 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $826.55 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,139.89 and a 200-day moving average of $1,046.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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 the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Loop Capital lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

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.