W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Vectors Research Management LLC

Vectors Research Management LLC reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,005 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 224 shares during the quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $2,675,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,385 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,477,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $848,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,352,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,002.12 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $988.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,070.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two 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.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on GWW. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price 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. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

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.