Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Buys 13 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,828 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,021.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1,063.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,073.98. The company has a market capitalization of $49.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

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.