Zega Financial LLC Acquires 105 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Zega Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 867 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the quarter. Zega Financial LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 119.5% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,272,000 after acquiring an additional 6,197 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.2% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,857,000 after purchasing an additional 6,042 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,013.92 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $961.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $954.95. The company has a market cap of $49.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.