Gallacher Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 282 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,033,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $175,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $6.99 on Thursday, hitting $1,051.75. 79,307 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 279,313. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,059.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,036.18. The company has a market cap of $50.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of 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. 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. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

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.