Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,417 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 62 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises 1.0% of Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $942.43 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $45.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,013.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,076.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. 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 on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of 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, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,130.89.

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.