Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 807 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 160.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 over the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,113.05 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $54.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,133.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,051.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $855.01 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

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.