Running Oak Capital LLC Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Running Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 1.9% of Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,741,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,122.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $870.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,125.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,057.85.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on GWW. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last three months. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.