Agate Pass Investment Management LLC Purchases New Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Agate Pass Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 211 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 15.8% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $456,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 500.0% in the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. CIC Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.5% in the first quarter. CIC Wealth LLC now owns 1,219 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $210,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $6.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $902.59. The company had a trading volume of 57,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,828. The stock has a market cap of $44.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day moving average is $929.88 and its 200-day moving average is $924.47. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.61 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger 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.