W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stake Raised by ORG Partners LLC

ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1,201.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the quarter. ORG Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $2.28 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $954.98. 26,048 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 244,705. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $932.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $950.32. 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 market cap of $46.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

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.