Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 143.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,829 shares during the period. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.3% in the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $203,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.8% in the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 3,985 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,937,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 23.3% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 70,263 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $69,408,000 after acquiring an additional 13,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trueblood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 33.3% in the first quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $660,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $18.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,063.31. 157,631 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,989. The company has a market cap of $51.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $888.75 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,044.54 and a 200 day moving average of $1,050.76.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date 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 is 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on GWW. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on 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, Wolfe Research downgraded 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was 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 now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by 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.