Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Acquires 379 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 46.1% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first 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 during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3 %

GWW opened at $993.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $959.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $954.95.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

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.