Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Purchases 37 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,113.05 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $855.01 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,131.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,054.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. 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.