Calton & Associates Inc. Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Calton & Associates Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1,174.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,122 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,171 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.4% of Calton & Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Calton & Associates Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.5% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,574 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,555,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $202,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.0% during the first quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.3% during the first quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 79.8% during the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 365 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $4.63 on Friday, reaching $1,026.80. 748,541 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,627. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,061.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,036.44. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $49.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm'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 directly owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of 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, Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

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.