Harbor Advisory Corp MA Invests $265,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Harbor Advisory Corp MA purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 255 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded down $22.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,097.81. 33,641 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,194. The company has a market cap of $53.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,008.79 and its 200 day moving average is $963.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,129.92.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,043.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.