King Luther Capital Management Corp Purchases 59 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 59 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,378,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,033,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,970 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,796,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $948.75 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,037.69 and a 200 day moving average of $1,027.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $45.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm’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 value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Loop Capital decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, 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, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,080.38.

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.