Bey Douglas LLC Buys New Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bey Douglas LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,092 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,220,000. W.W. Grainger makes up about 4.3% of Bey Douglas LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 27,497 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $19,024,000 after acquiring an additional 2,117 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 9,975 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,901,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 2,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the third quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 2,441 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,689,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 28.4% in the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $2.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $945.66. 197,063 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 264,188. The company has a market cap of $46.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.18. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $972.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $899.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.34 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.