W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Founders Financial Securities LLC

Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 119.5% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 13,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,292,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,272,000 after buying an additional 6,197 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $952.29 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $950.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $953.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,017.13.

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.