Quest Partners LLC Has $2.76 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,233 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,320,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Concord Asset Management LLC VA increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Adero Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.6% during the third quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 5,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,607 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,174,000 after buying an additional 1,041 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,178.33 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $772.13 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,078.55 and a 200 day moving average of $988.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $57.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Loop Capital increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,086.50.

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.