W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after acquiring an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $159,365,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,232,000 after acquiring an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $129,175,000 after acquiring an additional 57,894 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,100.34 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $53.99 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,030.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $969.76. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $721.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,129.92. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,043.20.

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.