LPL Financial LLC Grows Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 6,429 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $68,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Finally, Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $3,687,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $987.55 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,032.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,077.05. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

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.