Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Buys 30 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,909 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’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 transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other W.W. Grainger news, 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 in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $6.77 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $949.92. 164,402 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 230,932. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $979.92 and its 200-day moving average is $862.80. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price 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 issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $913.89.

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.