Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 38.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 568 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target 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. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW traded up $17.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,102.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 382,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,315. The firm has a market cap of $52.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,000.69 and a 200-day moving average of $1,065.46. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Transactions 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 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 now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.