Entropy Technologies LP Buys Shares of 690 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 690 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 537.5% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,175.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,073.95 and a 200-day moving average of $986.32. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $772.13 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979 over the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. 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, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,086.50.

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.