Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV Grows Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 335 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 22 shares during the quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $302,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $1.34 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $951.45. 278,706 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 247,315. The company’s 50 day moving average is $924.85 and its 200 day moving average is $946.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.69 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.33. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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.