Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Boosts Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,008.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $49.47 billion, a PE ratio of 27.84, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $961.14 and a 200 day moving average of $954.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.