W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lifted by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 47.7% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. IMPACTfolio LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $202,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,249,000 after acquiring an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. 1ST Source Bank raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.2% during the third quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 1,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,311,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 9,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,169,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,053.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $51.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,144.15 and its 200-day moving average is $1,039.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $806.08 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.