W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 45.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,958 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on GWW. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $902.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $928.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $924.92. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were given a $2.05 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.