Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Invests $4.88 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,937 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,877,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. New England Research & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $272,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $362,000. Willis Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $7,538,000. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 143.4% in the first quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,773,000 after acquiring an additional 5,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.3% in the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,063.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $51.08 billion, a PE ratio of 27.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,044.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,052.90. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $888.75 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,123.13.

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.