Virtu Financial LLC Buys 77 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Virtu Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.1% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,424,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

GWW stock opened at $971.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,038.34 and its 200 day moving average is $1,076.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS 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 previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus 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.