W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 204 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 175 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Savvy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $220,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,862,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 1,302 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,353,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $717,000. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,776,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,178.33 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,078.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $988.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $772.13 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

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.