Pathstone Holdings LLC Lowers Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Pathstone Holdings LLC trimmed its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 862 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $17,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $3,687,000. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 496.6% in the 4th quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 484.2% in the 4th quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 5,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,145,000 after purchasing an additional 4,832 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 959 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,069.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $996.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,065.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.