First American Trust FSB Lowers Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

First American Trust FSB decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 26 shares during the period. First American Trust FSB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $989.47 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $47.71 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,034.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,077.68.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. 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. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

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.