Insight Wealth Strategies LLC Buys 152 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Insight Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,328 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,222,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 5,749 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,187,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 2,475 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,233,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $129,175,000 after acquiring an additional 57,894 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $2.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $1,051.62. 108,464 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,753. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $806.08 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1,144.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,040.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was 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 owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

About W.W. Grainger

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.