1,442 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Purchased by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Blueshift Asset Management LLC has invested approximately $1.42 million in W.W. Grainger, acquiring 1,442 shares, which is around 0.6% of its total holdings.
• Current price targets from analysts range from $966 to $1,160, with a consensus rating of "Hold" for W.W. Grainger.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.9% and a dividend payout ratio of 23.21%.

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,442 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,424,000. W.W. Grainger comprises 0.6% of Blueshift Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Castellan Group lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 130.1% in the first quarter. Castellan Group now owns 4,883 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,824,000 after acquiring an additional 2,761 shares during the period. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,006,000. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 32.0% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 72,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $72,007,000 after purchasing an additional 17,660 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 74.5% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 635 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,835 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,654,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This 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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $107.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $932.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,263,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 324,513. The firm has a market cap of $44.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The business's fifty day moving average price is $1,051.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,034.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

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.