Allstate Corp Buys New Shares in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Allstate Corp purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,388,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $973.54 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,027.35 and a 200-day moving average of $1,077.75.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.