D.A. Davidson & CO. Reduces Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

D.A. Davidson & CO. trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,612,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Citizens & Northern Corp increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 1,649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,738,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,908 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,281,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,307,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,135,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to 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 Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,023.99 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,075.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,072.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $49.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period last year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

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.