Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA Makes New $564,000 Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 625 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $564,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $260,000. Optas LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 2nd 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. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 102.0% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Vivid Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 231.7% in the second quarter. Vivid Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,997 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 1,122.2% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $5.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $982.23. 131,187 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 244,234. The business has a fifty day moving average of $941.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $952.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $48.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.