Naples Money Management LLC Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $182,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 33.6% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,947,000 after acquiring an additional 6,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 212.9% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 25,798 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,306,000 after purchasing an additional 17,553 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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 note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE GWW traded up $5.11 on Friday, hitting $942.65. 260,174 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 230,777. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $979.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $863.92. The company has a market cap of $46.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.94, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 20.55%.

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.