Fielder Capital Group LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fielder Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,091 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $904,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $5.85 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $945.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 193,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 238,686. The business has a fifty day moving average of $977.04 and a 200 day moving average of $886.65. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $46.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 20.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $938.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company 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.