Unique Wealth LLC Grows Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Unique Wealth LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,647 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the quarter. Unique Wealth LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,736,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $848,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 26.7% during the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,374,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.1% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,424,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.2 %

GWW stock opened at $1,075.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $52.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.16, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $833.50 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,139.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,047.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price objective on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.