Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Acquires 271 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 74.5%, acquiring an additional 271 shares, bringing their total to 635 shares valued at approximately $627,000.
• W.W. Grainger reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the latest quarter, which was below the consensus estimate of $10.07 EPS, despite showing a 5.6% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, with a 1.0% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 23.21%, to be distributed on September 1st.

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 74.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 635 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 271 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $627,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $932.25 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $1,051.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,034.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.76 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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 research report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.