W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Increased by CoreCap Advisors LLC

CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $811,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,687,000. Czech National Bank raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,128,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period. Finally, Brendel Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 496.6% in the fourth quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were 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 owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,035.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company’s fifty day moving average is $992.54 and its 200-day moving average is $1,065.99. The firm has a market cap of $49.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

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.