EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 408 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,281,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 526.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 55,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $58,558,000 after purchasing an additional 46,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cushing Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $1,085,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $977.11 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $47.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,045.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,076.86. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

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.