Willis Investment Counsel Invests $7.54 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Willis Investment Counsel purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 7,631 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $3,687,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,932,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 2,188 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,306,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. Puff Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $280,000. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $80,818,000 after acquiring an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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, Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.7%

GWW traded down $18.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,063.31. 157,631 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 249,591. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $1,041.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,053.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $888.75 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was 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. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 in the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.