Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Has $3.96 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,758 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,961,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $55,815,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,058,000 after purchasing an additional 53,729 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,007.06 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,055.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,074.87. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $48.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

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.