W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 57,690 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.22% of W.W. Grainger worth $5,322,801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,903,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Advyzon Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $338,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 60,560.0% in the 1st quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,996,000 after buying an additional 3,028 shares during the period. Finally, MWA Asset Management raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. MWA Asset Management now owns 1,746 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong 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 price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $959.76 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $45.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.35, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,043.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,031.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.76 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently 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.