Aurdan Capital Management LLC Makes New $10.50 Million Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Aurdan Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,961 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $10,499,000. W.W. Grainger makes up about 4.0% of Aurdan Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $175,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.9%

GWW stock traded down $9.82 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,079.99. The company had a trading volume of 159,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,059. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,016.39 and a 200-day moving average of $1,062.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $51.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 in the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

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.