Meritage Portfolio Management Sells 1,703 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meritage Portfolio Management decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,703 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,406 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,826,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $669,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Guidance Capital Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 838 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $940,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 334 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,042.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,111.73 and its 200-day moving average is $1,067.22. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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.