Fiduciary Alliance LLC Invests $202,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake 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 worth $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,086.69 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,139.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,047.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $833.50 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $52.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its 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 return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.

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.