Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,701 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $16,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $175,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
W.W. Grainger Stock Performance
Shares of GWW stock traded down $11.24 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,076.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 189,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,901. 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 company has a market cap of $51.73 billion, a PE ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,028.17 and a 200-day moving average of $1,058.34. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.
Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger
In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 in the last 90 days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, 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. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GWW
W.W. Grainger Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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