Brown Advisory Inc. Raises Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Brown Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 140.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 72 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $963.36 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $971.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $903.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $47.27 billion, a PE ratio of 26.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.