W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 226.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,938 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 13,823 shares during the quarter. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $21,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 23,673 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $24,952,000 after buying an additional 1,628 shares in the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $725,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4,053.3% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 53,910 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $56,824,000 after purchasing an additional 52,612 shares during the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 185.3% during the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $5.94 on Friday, reaching $1,072.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 127,614 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,981. The stock's 50-day moving average is $1,012.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,063.78. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.70, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was 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, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut 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 raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average 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.