W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stake Lifted by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,821 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fullcircle Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Callan Capital LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.0% during the first quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 825 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 19.1% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 112 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $128,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,059.71 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $1,062.07 and its 200-day moving average is $1,037.36. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $893.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $50.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on GWW. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of 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 reduced their price target 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 research report on Friday. 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.

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