Castellan Group grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 130.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,883 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,761 shares during the quarter. Castellan Group's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after purchasing an additional 691,783 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in 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 worth $718,769,000 after buying an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4,053.3% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 53,910 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,824,000 after buying an additional 52,612 shares during the period. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,030,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on GWW
Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger
In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 $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 owned by insiders.
W.W. Grainger Trading Down 10.3%
Shares of GWW stock traded down $107.29 during mid-day 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $1,051.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,034.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.
W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.
W.W. Grainger Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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