W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Syon Capital LLC

Syon Capital LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 35.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was 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 directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GWW. UBS Group increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $928.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $979.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $873.99. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.61 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.54%.

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.