Federated Hermes Inc. Has $7.75 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Federated Hermes Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 30.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,243 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 620 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 1,957 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $18,227,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $11,268,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $960.47 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $994.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,072.40. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,130.89.

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.