W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) is Spring Capital Management LLC’s 6th Largest Position

Spring Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,034 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 460 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 5.1% of Spring Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Spring Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,113.05 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $855.01 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $54.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,133.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,050.76.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

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.