W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Increased by InterOcean Capital Group LLC

InterOcean Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the quarter. InterOcean Capital Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $392,470,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after purchasing an additional 43,043 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $199,595,000 after purchasing an additional 42,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth $28,241,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded up $21.52 during trading on Thursday, hitting $954.15. 217,347 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 244,705. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market cap of $46.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $923.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $939.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.61 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock 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 report on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

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.