W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Main Street Financial Solutions LLC

Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 14 shares during the quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $360,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arjuna Capital lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the third quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 5,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,364,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Saturna Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 81,980 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $85,162,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $284,000. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $806,000. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,086.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,175.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,073.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $986.32. The company has a market cap of $57.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

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.