Members Wealth LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Members Wealth LLC trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 270 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 18 shares during the quarter. Members Wealth LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $3,687,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 2,188 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,306,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the period. Puff Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $280,000. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,077.99 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $888.75 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,038.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,054.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,123.13.

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.