W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at about $222,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $817,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,456 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,513,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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 $1,021.00 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,063.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,074.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $49.23 billion, a PE ratio of 26.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

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.