W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 131,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,418 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.27% of W.W. Grainger worth $118,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE GWW opened at $996.56 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $957.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $954.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The company has a market cap of $48.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.