W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 72.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,804 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position 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 worth $10,249,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $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 fourth quarter worth approximately $273,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.9% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 1,789 shares during the period. Finally, Sabal Trust CO purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Loop Capital decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $952.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $924.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $945.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders 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 is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

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.