Rafferty Asset Management LLC Purchases 420 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Busey Bank increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,102.43 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,000.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,064.90. The company has a market capitalization of $52.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.48, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research downgraded 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.