Brendel Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Brendel Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 496.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 1.9% of Brendel Financial Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 10,614 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,576,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,515 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,074,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $281,104,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,994,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, 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 a total of 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,086.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $52.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. 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 twelve month low of $833.50 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,139.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,047.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

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.