Mission Wealth Management LP Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mission Wealth Management LP grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of 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. Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $920.30 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $979.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $879.00. The stock has a market cap of $45.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 20.54%.

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.