W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Newly Purchased by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Key Points

• Aware Super acquired 26,181 W.W. Grainger shares in the third quarter, valued at approximately $32.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.7% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $1,266.08, despite ratings ranging from Buy to Sell.
• Grainger reported quarterly EPS of $12.01, exceeding expectations, while revenue rose 10.3% year over year to $5.02 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $2.49 per share, representing a 0.7% yield.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 26,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $32,615,000. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super owned approximately 0.06% of W.W. Grainger as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 6,759 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,423,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $15,910,000. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 56.4% in the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 3,883 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,838,000 after purchasing an additional 1,401 shares in the last quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.3% during the third quarter. Invera Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 356 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,185.00 to $1,172.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,365.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,428.00 to $1,427.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,266.08.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,378.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $64.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.81. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,302.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,237.31. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $906.52 and a 52-week high of $1,419.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $12.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.30 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.96 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 48.73% and a net margin of 9.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.97 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 46.31 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 9th will be issued a $2.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $9.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies for businesses, government agencies and other organizations. Its product offerings include safety equipment, tools, fasteners, electrical and plumbing supplies, material-handling equipment, cleaning and janitorial products, HVAC supplies, and facility-maintenance products.

The company also provides services designed to help customers manage procurement and workplace operations, including product selection support, inventory-management programs, digital purchasing tools, and technical assistance.

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