W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Ellevest Inc.

Ellevest Inc. lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 497 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 20 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,687,000. Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,128,000 after buying an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brendel Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $3,170,000 after acquiring an additional 2,503 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,035.87 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $49.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. 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 50 day moving average price of $992.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,065.99.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,120.00.

W.W. Grainger 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.