TRUE Private Wealth Advisors Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

TRUE Private Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $949.92 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.23, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $980.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $863.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on GWW. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on shares of 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. One equities research 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, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’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 owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.