Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,416 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after buying an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 9,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concord Asset Management LLC VA lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after buying an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,028.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,089.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,069.78. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

W.W. Grainger 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.