W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in 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. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,012.63 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $963.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $955.18. The stock has a market cap of $49.69 billion, a PE ratio of 27.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

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.