Goldstone Financial Group LLC Takes $223,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Goldstone Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,043.20.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.0 %

GWW stock opened at $1,110.72 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,033.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $970.74. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $721.99 and a 12 month high of $1,130.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.