Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $3,365,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $399,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $598,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 543 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $572,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,867 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,562,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 3,287 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,465,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3%

GWW stock opened at $1,077.70 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $51.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,010.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,065.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target 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. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. 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 research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

W.W. Grainger 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.

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