US Bancorp DE Has $72.01 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 32% during the first quarter, owning approximately 0.15% of the company valued at $72 million.
• Several institutional investors have shown significant interest, with GAMMA Investing LLC boosting its stake by an extraordinary 100,843%, bringing its total ownership to 692,469 shares worth $684 million.
• W.W. Grainger's quarterly earnings report revealed earnings per share of $9.97, missing estimates by $0.10, while revenue increased 5.6% year-over-year to $4.55 billion.

US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 32.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,660 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned 0.15% of W.W. Grainger worth $72,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 73,173 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,128,000 after buying an additional 3,347 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,015 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,124,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,305,000. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $830,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $6.84 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $939.28. The stock had a trading volume of 410,819 shares, compared to its average volume of 387,665. 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 market cap of $45.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.83, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.18. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $1,051.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,033.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.76 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the 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 transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,080.38.

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.