Dearborn Partners LLC Buys 50 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dearborn Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 296 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $312,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $295,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $75,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $362,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $981.16 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,052.04 and a 200 day moving average of $1,076.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

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.