W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH

Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 313.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $16.62 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1,069.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 53,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 202,353. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $833.50 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $1,139.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,046.00.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

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.