Townsend & Associates Inc Has $14.02 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Townsend & Associates Inc lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 75.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,094 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,902 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for approximately 1.7% of Townsend & Associates Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $6.63 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $955.55. 60,606 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 236,626. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $976.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $887.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

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.