Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Has $1.78 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $362,000. Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $210,000. Jag Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 66.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 14,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,888,000 after acquiring an additional 5,715 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Objective Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $286,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,220.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.46 billion, a PE ratio of 33.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. 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’s 50 day moving average is $1,059.24 and its 200 day moving average is $981.51. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $772.13 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s 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 transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979 in the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,058.50.

About W.W. Grainger

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.