W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,096 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,475 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.10% of W.W. Grainger worth $43,394,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.0% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Copperwynd Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $978.39. The company had a trading volume of 61,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 243,804. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $940.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $952.06. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $674.41 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital decreased their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.