Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC Acquires 19 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,857,000 after acquiring an additional 6,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 576.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 4,737 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird downgraded 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,032.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,037.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $967.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $956.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.