W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Zacks Investment Management

Zacks Investment Management increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 545 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 11 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $1,741,000. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $3,687,000. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,128,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,002.12 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $988.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,070.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,130.89.

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.