W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 33.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,722 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,080.60 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $888.75 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $51.91 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,041.65 and a 200 day moving average of $1,053.95.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,123.13.

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.