Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. Purchases 358 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,735 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 358 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for 1.9% of Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,017,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,562,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares during the period. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 155.6% in the 4th quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,064 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,284,000 after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $572,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 7,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,435,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cove Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $411,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,120.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,129.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,055.51. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $865.50 and a 12-month 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.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Loop Capital raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of 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. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

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.