285 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Bought by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $410,000. Garner Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the second quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Zega Financial LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 13.8% during the second quarter. Zega Financial LLC now owns 867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $782,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 1,730 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of 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. The firm has a market cap of $50.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $967.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $956.10. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,037.23.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid 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 payout ratio is 22.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

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.