Willis Investment Counsel Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Willis Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 7,631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,538,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after acquiring an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,256,400,000 after acquiring an additional 27,716 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $684,042,000 after acquiring an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 584,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $616,465,000 after acquiring an additional 37,894 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2%

GWW opened at $1,080.60 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,041.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,053.95. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $888.75 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,123.13.

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.