Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Optas LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Copperwynd Financial LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,032.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day moving average of $970.23 and a 200 day moving average of $956.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,037.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

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.