Trueblood Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Trueblood Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 26 shares during the quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.1 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $988.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $48.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.30, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $956.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $954.45.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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 stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective 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, August 2nd. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.