Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Buys 668 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,997 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital increased their price objective 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. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,043.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

GWW stock opened at $1,100.34 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $721.99 and a twelve month high of $1,129.92. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,030.55 and its 200-day moving average is $969.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.99 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders 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 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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.