W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Strategic Advisors LLC

Strategic Advisors LLC reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 30 shares during the quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of GWW traded down $4.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $910.87. The stock had a trading volume of 21,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,762. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $925.21 and its 200 day moving average is $927.37. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.61 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. 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%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital dropped 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 report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.