Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA Increases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6,681.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 6,681 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,043.20.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of GWW stock traded up $1.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $1,100.02. 5,286 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 232,330. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,028.15 and its 200-day moving average is $968.84. The company has a market cap of $53.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $721.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,129.92.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About W.W. Grainger

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.