Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Increases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,274 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $3,687,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,033,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $692,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $10.91 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $1,048.58. 127,044 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 270,953. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $1,062.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,037.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $50.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on 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. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

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.