Guardian Capital LP Buys 263 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Guardian Capital LP raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,969 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. Guardian Capital LP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 11.7% during the third quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $2,675,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,385 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,477,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at $848,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,352,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of GWW stock traded down $0.82 on Monday, hitting $1,067.18. The stock had a trading volume of 105,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,414. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $51.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $988.46 and a 200 day moving average of $1,067.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS 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. Investors 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 represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

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.