Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 185.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,277 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,479 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,370,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $1,329,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 12,416 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares during the period. Paradoxiom Capital L.P. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $5,984,000. Finally, Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $689,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Wolfe Research lowered 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,120.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction 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 approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,099.67 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,003.33 and its 200 day moving average is $1,064.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. Research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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%.

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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