W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by 1ST Source Bank

1ST Source Bank lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. 1ST Source Bank’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Loop Capital raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $9.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,139.94. 32,005 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 233,008. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $800.97 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $55.52 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,142.24 and its 200 day moving average is $1,019.67. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.