EP Wealth Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,287 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 280.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,932 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,518,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 87.1% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,316,000 after purchasing an additional 17,195 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,185.16 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,132.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,014.63. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $800.97 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. 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 company has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a PE ratio of 32.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued 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). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.