W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD.

Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 381 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the quarter. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $396,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harfst & Associates Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the third quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 2,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 426 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 617 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $640,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 173.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 706 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,652,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,030.70.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,127.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,128.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,008.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $964.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a PE ratio of 31.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 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.