Vista Investment Partners II LLC Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,746,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 47.7% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,604,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,817 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,624,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,007.06 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market cap of $48.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,054.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,076.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.18%.

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.