W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Boosted by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 224 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,616,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,085.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $888.75 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,035.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,054.74. The stock has a market cap of $52.16 billion, a PE ratio of 28.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company’s revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,123.13.

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.