W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Holdings Lifted by Bath Savings Trust Co

Bath Savings Trust Co lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,124 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. State of Tennessee Treasury Department boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 58.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 22,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,522,000 after acquiring an additional 8,235 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $534,000. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 11,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,918,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,028.56 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.40, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $988.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $959.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,049.02.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,005.20.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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.