DDD Partners LLC Has $486,000 Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

DDD Partners LLC trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 56 shares during the period. DDD Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 33.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,947,000 after purchasing an additional 6,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 212.9% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 25,798 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,306,000 after purchasing an additional 17,553 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,020.17 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $625.97 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $953.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $831.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $913.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.