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

Choate Investment Advisors acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 196 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $977.11 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $47.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,045.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,076.86.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

About W.W. Grainger

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.