Sheets Smith Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,749,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $8.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $931.94. 129,810 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 262,386. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.73 billion, a PE ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day moving average of $977.98 and a 200 day moving average of $881.99. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.61 EPS. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on GWW shares. UBS Group raised their price target 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. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Loop Capital reduced 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, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.