Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Grows Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 18.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.0% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Optas LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Copperwynd Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,032.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,037.23. The company has a market capitalization of $50.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $970.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $956.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.