Milestone Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Milestone Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 44.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,996 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,104,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avestar Capital LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $485,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.0% during the third quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 312 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.5 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,113.89 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $54.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. 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 simple moving average of $1,122.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,063.45.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business 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 firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.