Stratos Investment Management LLC Invests $266,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stratos Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 269 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $11.84 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,059.71. 324,808 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,641. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,062.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,037.73. 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 earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders 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 positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 23.21%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.