Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL Invests $702,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. SRN Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the second quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 1,847 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,666,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $601,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,354,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,041 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,040.46 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $981.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $958.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.05 billion, a PE ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,049.02.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results 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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 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, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of 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, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.