Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 335 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,743 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Tsfg LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $932.74 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $978.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $879.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $641.95 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

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.