Zega Financial LLC Increases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Zega Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Zega Financial LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.5% in the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 1,730 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 5,831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,254,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 59.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 8,385 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,565,000 after acquiring an additional 3,120 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,098,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,232,000 after acquiring an additional 61,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,013.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $961.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $954.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.