W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Realta Investment Advisors

Realta Investment Advisors increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optas LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the second quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of GWW stock traded down $4.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,105.07. 248,255 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,978. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $747.00 and a one year high of $1,130.01. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,035.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $971.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,058.50.

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.