Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV Grows Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 335 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,249,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after acquiring an additional 43,043 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,932,000 after buying an additional 1,789 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sabal Trust CO purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.1 %

GWW traded down $1.34 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $951.45. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 278,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,315. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $924.85 and its 200-day moving average is $946.05.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Loop Capital cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.