Entropy Technologies LP Acquires New Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 690 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 2.2 %

GWW opened at $1,175.62 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,073.95 and a 200-day moving average of $986.32. The stock has a market cap of $57.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $772.13 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.