Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $1.55 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Get Rating) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,778 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $30,000. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $31,000. 71.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $681.78 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $670.99 and a 200-day moving average of $628.91. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $440.48 and a one year high of $709.21. The company has a market cap of $34.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The industrial products company reported $9.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.57 by $1.04. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.65% and a return on equity of 61.00%. The company had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 35.78 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 8th will be given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 5th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.72. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. 92 Resources restated a “maintains” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $537.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $785.00 to $800.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $730.00 to $760.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $704.88.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 49,121 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $694.36, for a total transaction of $34,107,657.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 80,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,715,446.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 49,121 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $694.36, for a total transaction of $34,107,657.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 80,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,715,446.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 476 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $683.74, for a total transaction of $325,460.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,183,553.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,220 shares of company stock valued at $37,505,841 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.90% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Profile

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W.W. Grainger, Inc is a supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products, with operations in North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom. It operates through the following segments: High-Touch Solutions N.A., Endless Assortment, and Other. The High-Touch Solutions N.A. segment is involved in value-added MRO solutions that are rooted in deep product knowledge and customer expertise.