W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,154 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 501 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,068.03 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $995.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,065.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.59, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was 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. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,120.00.

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.