W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lifted by Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV

Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,980 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,687,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 2,188 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,306,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Puff Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $280,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,094.92 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,032.11 and its 200-day moving average is $1,057.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $876.28 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.62 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

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.