G&S Capital LLC Takes $414,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

G&S Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 419 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $414,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after buying an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $175,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.0%

GWW traded down $10.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,041.97. 71,912 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 248,913. The stock has a market cap of $50.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 2.72 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. The stock's 50-day moving average is $1,058.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,040.35. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $888.75 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict 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 represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president 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. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of 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. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

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.