Suncoast Equity Management Has $30.93 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Suncoast Equity Management boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises 4.1% of Suncoast Equity Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Suncoast Equity Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $30,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the third quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,187,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.4% during the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 633 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 71,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,638,000 after buying an additional 7,273 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,984,000 after acquiring an additional 8,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,712,000 after buying an additional 43,043 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of GWW traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $955.39. The stock had a trading volume of 54,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 229,826. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $979.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $860.94. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Stephens raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

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.