Blue Fin Capital Inc. Acquires New Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Blue Fin Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 446 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $470,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $175,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded up $17.41 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,089.29. 45,521 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,156. 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 company has a market capitalization of $52.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.13, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,014.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,061.99.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of 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. 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 stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.