W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Holdings Boosted by Lake Street Advisors Group LLC

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 533 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $224,000. Canal Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC now owns 3,994 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,149,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,765 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,834,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 32,558 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,822,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,302 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,508,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,090.94 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $687.55 and a 52-week high of $1,129.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.93, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,022.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $967.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,043.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.