Bancreek Capital Management LP Has $4.37 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bancreek Capital Management LP increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 26.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,426 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 928 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 6.5% of Bancreek Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Bancreek Capital Management LP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $175,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 200 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $453,000. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 450 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the 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 directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded up $15.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,050.49. 158,261 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 249,375. The company has a market cap of $50.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $888.75 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,060.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,039.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. 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 yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

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.