Independent Advisor Alliance Acquires 27 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,030 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,216.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $59.24 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,102.56 and a 200 day moving average of $999.46. 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 $772.13 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

W.W. Grainger 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.