Bancreek Capital Management LP Invests $3.69 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,687,000. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 3.6% of Bancreek Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $971.57 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,038.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,075.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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 fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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 lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

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.