Drum Hill Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 625 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Drum Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 625 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,000. W.W. Grainger comprises 0.8% of Drum Hill Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on 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. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,008.08 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,072.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,072.39.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.