W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $920.30 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $979.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $879.00. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

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.