2,074 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,074 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,110,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $11,075,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 13,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,272,000 after buying an additional 6,197 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $10.01 on Friday, hitting $952.37. The company had a trading volume of 361,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,104. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The company has a market cap of $46.73 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $924.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $944.58. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

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.