Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $2.20 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.9 %

GWW opened at $931.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $977.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $881.99. The company has a market cap of $45.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $938.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.