Crewe Advisors LLC Acquires 37 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 39.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $392,470,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after acquiring an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after purchasing an additional 43,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $199,595,000 after purchasing an additional 42,395 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded up $16.88 during trading on Friday, hitting $984.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 298,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,681. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $945.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $952.90. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

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.