Savant Capital LLC Has $2.78 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Savant Capital LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,638 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,781,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,027.47 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,092.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,070.07. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $50.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

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.