294 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Bought by Founders Financial Alliance LLC

Key Points

• Founders Financial Alliance LLC acquired 294 shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. valued at approximately $290,000 during the first quarter, indicating growing interest from institutional investors.
• W.W. Grainger reported earnings of $9.97 per share in its latest quarter, missing analysts' expectations by $0.10, although revenue increased by 5.6% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.0%, and the dividend payment is set for September 1st.

Founders Financial Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 294 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $290,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,278,000 after purchasing an additional 955 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 19,663 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $20,726,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 980 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,033,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Petros Family Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $309,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $948.75 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,037.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,028.23. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $45.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.76 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 22.94%.

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.

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