W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $1,305,000. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,015 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,124,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $17,354,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,256,400,000 after acquiring an additional 27,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 73,173 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $77,128,000 after acquiring an additional 3,347 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $972.85 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,017.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,076.46.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

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.