Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $15.51 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,243 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,342 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of GWW opened at $902.24 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $928.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $924.92.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Oppenheimer raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.