W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Bought by Suncoast Equity Management

Suncoast Equity Management grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 4.1% of Suncoast Equity Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Suncoast Equity Management owned 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $30,931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SVB Wealth LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 1,243 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,030,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 3,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Conning Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $261,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 66,069 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $54,751,000 after buying an additional 1,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 47.8% in the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 5,208 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,311,000 after buying an additional 1,685 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $955.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 54,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 229,826. The firm has a market cap of $46.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $979.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $860.94. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $641.95 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.55%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.