Pegasus Partners Ltd. Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Pegasus Partners Ltd. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 589 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Pegasus Partners Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979 over the last three months. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,202.45 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,054.52 and a 200-day moving average of $979.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $58.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,210.27.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,058.50.

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.