Clark & Stuart Inc Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,652 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,741,000. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 1.3% of Clark & Stuart Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $906,700,000 after purchasing an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,815,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 154,324 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $139,237,000 after buying an additional 47,053 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,053.05 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $51.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,139.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,046.00. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $826.55 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

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.