Regents Gate Capital LLP Acquires 1,659 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Regents Gate Capital LLP boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 51.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,883 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises 2.1% of Regents Gate Capital LLP's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Regents Gate Capital LLP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,824,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 159.0% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 202 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 205.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $11.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,059.71. 324,808 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 250,641. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,062.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,037.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm 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 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,116.25.

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.