W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 22.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $230,000. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $214,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 18.6% in the third quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,402,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,028.56 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,049.02. 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 company has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $988.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $959.52.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.28 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,005.20.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. 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 currently owned by company insiders.

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.