Diversified Trust Co Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,487,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Bancreek Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $3,687,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after buying an additional 18,216 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,701,000 after buying an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,476 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,556,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE GWW traded up $13.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,028.72. 375,378 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 249,401. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $888.75 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $1,055.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,043.43. The company has a market cap of $49.42 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 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. Insiders have sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.