W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,945 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded up $14.43 on Thursday, hitting $1,084.24. 249,217 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 254,946. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $52.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $996.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,065.57.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.