Peak Financial Advisors LLC Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Peak Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,946 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,658,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after acquiring an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 689,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $571,042,000 after purchasing an additional 11,460 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $392,470,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 440,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $365,334,000 after acquiring an additional 10,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 265,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,688,000 after purchasing an additional 4,893 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $7.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $979.31. The company had a trading volume of 154,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 246,870. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $928.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $948.65. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.04, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.30.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

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.