Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 146 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Swedbank AB raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $362,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $284,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,862 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $968.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,046.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,076.04. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $46.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 in the prior year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

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.