Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 345.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,346 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after buying an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 87.1% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,316,000 after acquiring an additional 17,195 shares during the last quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.3% in the third quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 5,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,158.44 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $56.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $800.97 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,137.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,017.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

About W.W. Grainger

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.