Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL Takes $702,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRN Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the second quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 1,847 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,666,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $601,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,354,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.4% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,041 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,255,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the 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 value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s 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 approximately $111,650,478.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price 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. Finally, 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. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,040.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $51.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.73, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50 day moving average of $981.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $958.94. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,049.02. 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 data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS 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 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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.