Eads & Heald Wealth Management Has $3.19 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Eads & Heald Wealth Management lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 1.5% of Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $10.39 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $954.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 236,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 232,308. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $979.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $859.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The company has a market cap of $46.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company 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.