FORA Capital LLC Has $6.59 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

FORA Capital LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 41.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,252 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,846 shares during the quarter. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Busey Bank boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank increased its holdings 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 worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW traded down $10.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,035.87. The stock had a trading volume of 287,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,395. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company's fifty day moving average is $992.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,065.80. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger 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.