W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Apollon Wealth Management LLC

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,480 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 92 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 537.5% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.2 %

GWW opened at $1,175.62 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,073.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $986.32. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $57.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,086.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,775 shares of company stock worth $52,489,979 over the last three months. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.