Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 4,937 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,877,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Welch & Forbes LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. United Community Bank increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 485 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,828 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,089,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $18.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,063.31. 157,631 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 248,989. The company has a market capitalization of $51.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $888.75 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,044.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,051.84.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.