Brighton Jones LLC Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 346 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $966,451,000 after buying an additional 204,507 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $432,411,000 after acquiring an additional 47,731 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after acquiring an additional 43,043 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 102.1% in the third quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 45,625 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,565,000 after purchasing an additional 23,055 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 141,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $97,809,000 after purchasing an additional 22,523 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $932.74 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $978.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $879.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $641.95 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.77 billion, a PE ratio of 25.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 20.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is 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.