W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by BKM Wealth Management LLC

BKM Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aviance Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $203,000. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $208,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 11.9% in the first quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vicus Capital acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $349,000. Finally, Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $225,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Baird R W lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $5.22 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $897.02. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 56,746 shares, compared to its average volume of 241,656. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The company has a market cap of $44.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $928.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $926.40. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% 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.