Venturi Wealth Management LLC Acquires 309 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,142 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,116,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Columbia River Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.4% during the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 93 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $1.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,053.93. The stock had a trading volume of 241,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 324,981. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,057.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,036.16. The firm has a market cap of $50.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. This is a boost 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.