Columbus Macro LLC Has $6.15 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Columbus Macro LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 484.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,832 shares during the quarter. Columbus Macro LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,402,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 22.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.0% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,349,000 after buying an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 4,488 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,662,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,047.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $1,115.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,066.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

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.