Terra Nova Asset Management LLC Has $2.22 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Terra Nova Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 444 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 1.6% of Terra Nova Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during 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 stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.7 %

GWW traded up $29.43 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,115.00. The stock had a trading volume of 36,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,153. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $999.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $961.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $54.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,115.63.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley started 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 for the company. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,030.70.

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.