Vise Technologies Inc. Acquires 246 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 29.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Busey Bank raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, United Community Bank boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $17.53 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,089.41. The stock had a trading volume of 168,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,635. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,014.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,061.99. 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 market capitalization of $52.33 billion, a PE ratio of 28.14, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.