86 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Acquired by MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 86 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $917.97 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $926.73 and a 200-day moving average of $927.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on 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. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.