Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 66.3% in the third quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 14,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,888,000 after buying an additional 5,715 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $75,000. Objective Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $286,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsend & Associates Inc increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.6% in the third quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 16,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $18,366,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,202.35 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,054.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $979.58. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $772.13 and a 52 week high of $1,210.27. The stock has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.59, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,058.50.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979 over the last quarter. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.