By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $1,036.08 and traded as high as $1,065.88. W.W. Grainger shares last traded at $1,058.21, with a volume of 180,977 shares trading hands.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.
Read Our Latest Report on W.W. Grainger
W.W. Grainger Stock Performance
The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,146.47 and its 200-day moving average is $1,038.08. The stock has a market cap of $51.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.
Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger
In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.
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.
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