387 Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $320,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Tsfg LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $948.92 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $976.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $887.09. The company has a market capitalization of $46.56 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $641.95 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.