Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 870 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,120.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,126.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,056.43. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $868.53 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $54.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given 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 has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.