Harfst & Associates Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Harfst & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE GWW traded up $7.53 on Friday, reaching $1,127.00. The company had a trading volume of 253,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,600. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,128.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,008.79 and a 200-day moving average of $964.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a PE ratio of 31.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its 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 net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,030.70.

W.W. Grainger 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.