W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Increased by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 159 shares during the quarter. Tidal Investments LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $848,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.7% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,406 shares during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,385 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,477,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $2,675,000. Finally, Unigestion Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $865,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on GWW. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,142.87 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $55.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.98, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,144.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,020.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

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.