Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 485 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,828 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,089,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.
W.W. Grainger Stock Performance
W.W. Grainger stock traded up $13.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,028.72. 375,378 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 249,050. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,056.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,041.74. The firm has a market cap of $49.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.41, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $888.75 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend
The company 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 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages have issued reports on GWW. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.
Get Our Latest Research Report on W.W. Grainger
Insider Activity
In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 over the last 90 days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
W.W. Grainger Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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