GAMMA Investing LLC Has $723,000 Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,053.99 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $806.08 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,144.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,039.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $51.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of 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. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.