Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Grows Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 38.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 466 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $247,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 959 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $770,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's 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 now directly owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1%

GWW traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,086.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 360,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,424. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $52.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.07, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50-day moving average is $1,022.35 and its 200-day moving average is $1,058.73. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

About W.W. Grainger

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.