W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Holdings Raised by Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $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.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

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 P/E ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $928.40 and a 200-day moving average of $925.64.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. 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 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $959.44.

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.