Rhumbline Advisers Trims Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Rhumbline Advisers reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,076 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,441 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.18% of W.W. Grainger worth $94,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,027.68 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,086.13 and a 200 day moving average of $1,070.93. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $50.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 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 prior year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued 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 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Loop Capital boosted 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 note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped 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 note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

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.