TKG Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

TKG Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $684,042,000 after acquiring an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $175,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,126,000 after buying an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,036.78 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1,059.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,040.32. The firm has a market cap of $49.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $888.75 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

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.