Running Oak Capital LLC Boosts Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Running Oak Capital LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 1.9% of Running Oak Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 25.4% in the 2nd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.3% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 62,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $56,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,554 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 187.0% in the second quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 5,065 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,264,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.9% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 741 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $669,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,905,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,122.01 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $54.64 billion, a PE ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,125.67 and a 200 day moving average of $1,057.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $870.99 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.

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.