Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Grows Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,233 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $62,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.9 %

GWW opened at $1,205.87 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $772.13 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,106.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,001.27.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was 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 approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.