Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $4.10 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,942 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 236 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $25,000. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 196.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 24 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 316.7% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $1,018.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $922.15 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.44. The stock has a market cap of $43.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $961.93 and its 200-day moving average is $1,009.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.87 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 25.35%.

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.