Stephens Inc. AR Has $1.26 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stephens Inc. AR cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,027.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,092.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,070.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.