W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on 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. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,005.20.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,028.56 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,049.02. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $988.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $959.52. The company has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.