West Family Investments Inc. Acquires New Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.0 %

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $8.84 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $932.74. 129,810 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 238,749. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $978.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $879.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 20.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $938.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger 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.