Bancreek Capital Management LP Invests $3.69 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,687,000. W.W. Grainger accounts for 3.6% of Bancreek Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,424,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE GWW opened at $971.57 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,038.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,075.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $46.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 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.