Vest Financial LLC Acquires 542 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,431 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $55,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 77.2% during the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,862 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.0% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $711,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 76.3% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 335 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Agate Pass Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $219,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,035.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,101.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,067.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.