USA Financial Formulas Grows Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

USA Financial Formulas increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 399 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the quarter. USA Financial Formulas’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted 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. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $75,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on GWW. Bank of America started 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. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,093.92 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $53.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,138.78 and its 200 day moving average is $1,048.51. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $833.50 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.43 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last three months. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company 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.