W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Investment Management Corp of Ontario

Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,940 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,193.18 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $794.00 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.11 billion, a PE ratio of 32.34, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,120.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,008.36.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

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.