W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc

Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,034 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 58 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 1.7% of Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth 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 stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.2% in 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 holdings in W.W. Grainger by 496.6% during 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 buying an additional 2,503 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’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 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. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,035.87 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $49.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

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.