W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Centerstone Investors LLC

Centerstone Investors LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 34.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,537 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,162 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 4.4% of Centerstone Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Centerstone Investors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,713,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $984,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,411,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 87.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,316,000 after purchasing an additional 17,195 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 296.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 258 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $7.35 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,148.15. The company had a trading volume of 26,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,077. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,139.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,018.77. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $800.97 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. 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 company has a market capitalization of $55.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 over the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.