Concord Wealth Partners Acquires 204 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Concord Wealth Partners increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,352 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.4% during the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,354,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,558,000. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.6% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,402,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Unique Wealth LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 18.6% in the third quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,559,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’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 directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,064.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $1,118.60 and its 200 day moving average is $1,064.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.