Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC Purchases 72 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises 0.7% of Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group assumed 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 target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $988.67 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,059.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,076.06. The company has a market capitalization of $47.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.