W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Lowered by Hall Laurie J Trustee

Hall Laurie J Trustee decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $559,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 78.6% during the second quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.3% during the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,196 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,931,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $291,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,672,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $62,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Robert W. Baird cut shares of 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 report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related 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 value 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW traded up $4.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $962.40. 147,532 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 245,778. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $937.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $951.68.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.