Commerce Bank Increases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Commerce Bank grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,889,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optas LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the second quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,476,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,190.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,094.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $995.07. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $772.13 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

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.