PFG Advisors Has $430,000 Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

PFG Advisors grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 408 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,281,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 526.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 55,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,558,000 after buying an additional 46,683 shares in the last quarter. Cushing Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,085,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,968,000. Finally, Miller Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $581,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley increased 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $968.06 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,046.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,075.29. The company has a market cap of $46.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (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 last year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.