Entropy Technologies LP Has $6.13 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP significantly increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 226.3%, acquiring an additional 4,300 shares to own a total of 6,200 shares valued at approximately $6.12 million.
• Institutional investors hold 80.70% of W.W. Grainger's stock, with GAMMA Investing LLC making a notable acquisition of 691,783 shares during the first quarter.
• W.W. Grainger reported $9.97 EPS for the last quarter, falling short of estimates, and announced a $2.26 quarterly dividend to be paid on September 1st.

Entropy Technologies LP boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 226.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,200 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 4,300 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,125,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Family Office LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $576,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $812,403,000 after acquiring an additional 75,644 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.4% in the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 90.7% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 27,477 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,143,000 after buying an additional 13,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 30.3% in the first quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 344 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded up $20.64 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $981.34. 306,767 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 288,361. The company has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,032.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,025.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.76 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business'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 owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.