Fruth Investment Management Decreases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fruth Investment Management decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,014 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 5.0% of Fruth Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $19,342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th 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 period. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 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 report on Monday, April 29th. 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 report on Monday, April 29th. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $2.46 on Thursday, reaching $915.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 128,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 243,521. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $925.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $927.45. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. The company has a market cap of $44.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were given 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 of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

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.