W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by abrdn plc

abrdn plc boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 171,576 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 4,014 shares during the quarter. abrdn plc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $178,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,043.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,104.13 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $710.24 and a 1-year high of $1,129.92. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,025.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $967.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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.