W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Increased by Verus Capital Partners LLC

Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 24.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 386 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,021.00 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,063.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,073.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.23 billion, a PE ratio of 26.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 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 Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

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.