Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 273 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $284,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,178.33 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,078.55 and a 200-day moving average of $988.48. The company has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $772.13 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

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 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 firm 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 earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,086.50.

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.