W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Contravisory Investment Management Inc.

Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 33.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 739.2% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,090,813 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $88,545,000 after acquiring an additional 960,833 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $258,792,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 932,990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $642,653,000 after buying an additional 269,881 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 235.8% in the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 312,275 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $215,098,000 after buying an additional 219,286 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 21.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,035,669 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $713,379,000 after buying an additional 181,236 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.24% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $2.96 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $696.08. The stock had a trading volume of 72,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,014. The company has a market capitalization of $34.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $724.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $703.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $483.19 and a 1 year high of $811.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The industrial products company reported $9.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.96 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $4.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.04% and a return on equity of 60.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 36.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $647.00 to $653.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $795.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $775.00 price target on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, August 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $734.63.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools.