W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Liberty One Investment Management LLC

Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 78.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after buying an additional 43,043 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 4,552 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,772,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,413 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 160,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $133,272,000 after purchasing an additional 6,016 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 57.3% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded up $4.26 on Tuesday, hitting $962.40. 147,533 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 245,778. The company has a 50 day moving average of $936.51 and a 200-day moving average of $951.76. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during 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 period last year, the company earned $9.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,017.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About W.W. Grainger

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.