AQR Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 62,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,554 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $56,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,035.66 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.59, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,049.02. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $977.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $958.50. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

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.