W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Crewe Advisors LLC

Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 150 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $156,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $294,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $55,815,000. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $404,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,206.65 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,098.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $997.28. 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 has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $772.13 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

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.