Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $336.96 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 324,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,805 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $336,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 537.5% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1 %

GWW stock opened at $1,190.86 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,094.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $995.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market cap of $57.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $772.13 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm 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 posted $9.43 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.