Unigestion Holding SA Grows Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Unigestion Holding SA boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 29.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,158.44 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $800.97 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,137.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,017.80.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, 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 transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.