Alps Advisors Inc. Acquires 390 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Alps Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 19.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,398 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

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

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,039.68. 500,753 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,961. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,061.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,036.99. The company has a market capitalization of $49.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

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.