GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases Shares of 353 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,816 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $291,000. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $234,000. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Finally, Ardevora Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,075,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock opened at $958.32 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $980.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $872.05. The firm has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 20.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

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.