Running Oak Capital LLC Acquires 2,268 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Running Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 16.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,823 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 2,268 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 1.9% of Running Oak Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Running Oak Capital LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $3,687,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,701,000 after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,476 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,556,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded up $1.17 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1,038.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 296,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,783. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $49.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $888.75 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,053.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,045.61.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

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.