Champlain Investment Partners LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 53,730 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,815,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 537.5% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,206.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.71, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,098.38 and a 200-day moving average of $996.92. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $772.13 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. 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. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger 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.