Rhumbline Advisers Sells 1,441 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Rhumbline Advisers cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,076 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,441 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $94,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,027.68 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,086.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,070.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $50.05 billion, a PE ratio of 26.55, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

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.