Townsend & Associates Inc Increases Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Townsend & Associates Inc increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,911 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 2.0% of Townsend & Associates Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $18,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avestar Capital LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of 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. UBS Group began coverage on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,008.08 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,072.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,073.23. 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 current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $49.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

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.