DeDora Capital Inc. Makes New $521,000 Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

DeDora Capital Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 512 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $521,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were 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 $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were 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 directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $8.04 on Friday, hitting $931.94. The company had a trading volume of 129,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 262,386. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $977.98 and a 200-day moving average of $881.00.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research 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 announced 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 is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

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.