Bailard Inc. Buys 23 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 704 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 6,015 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,340,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $621,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 450 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $474,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $999.11 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1,061.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,075.91. 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 market capitalization of $48.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.