abrdn plc Grows Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

abrdn plc lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 160,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 6,016 shares during the period. abrdn plc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $133,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Retirement Group LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $5.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $942.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 261,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,948. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $979.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $865.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $641.95 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a market capitalization of $46.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.