Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. Invests $11.95 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 14,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,948,000. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.7% of Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $3.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $948.92. 235,352 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 238,648. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $977.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $886.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.61 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. UBS Group raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $938.89.

About W.W. Grainger

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.