Alpine Bank Wealth Management Buys New Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 285 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $17.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,024.37. The stock had a trading volume of 221,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,514. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $888.75 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,054.88 and its 200 day moving average is $1,044.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.