Truist Financial Corp Sells 1,522 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Truist Financial Corp lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,502 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,522 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned about 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $27,763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $934.57 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $979.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $877.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $641.95 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.61 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.54%.

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.