Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Has $2.34 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 539.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,367 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,997 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,338,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Columbia River Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.4% during the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 93 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of GWW traded up $6.93 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,051.69. 235,507 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 329,140. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,058.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,036.23. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. W.W. Grainger'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 posted $9.62 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned 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, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,116.25.

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.