C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Invests $6.43 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,097 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,427,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,546,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 2,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,007,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. Citizens & Northern Corp boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 1,649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,738,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,908 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,281,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Loop Capital upped their price objective on 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, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on 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. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,027.68 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $50.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,083.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,072.19. 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 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.