Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 22.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,523 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 1.1% of Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on 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. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on 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. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3 %

GWW opened at $1,023.99 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,075.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,072.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $49.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.