W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,552 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 248 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Guidance Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 619 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $504,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $220,000. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $282,000. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $416,000. Finally, Suncoast Equity Management grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 37,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,931,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.5 %

GWW stock opened at $942.65 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $979.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $866.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.88.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 20.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $913.89.

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.