Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,482 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 241 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on 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. Finally, Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $1.47 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $951.19. 258,776 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,742. 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 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $925.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $947.26. The company has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 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 business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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