W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 4.5%, owning 306,829 shares valued at $303.1 million at the end of the first quarter.
• W.W. Grainger's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $9.97, missing analysts' estimates, although revenue was up by 5.6% year-over-year at $4.55 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 1.0% and a payout ratio of 22.94%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 306,829 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,330 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.64% of W.W. Grainger worth $303,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,125,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crew Capital Management Ltd. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 note on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 note on Tuesday, May 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $20.40 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $960.16. 200,888 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,231. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $45.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,035.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,026.31. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business 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 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

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.