HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Sells 43 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,658 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 43 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $285,574,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $812,403,000 after purchasing an additional 75,644 shares during the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at about $67,601,000. Interval Partners LP grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,429.9% during the first quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 67,957 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $67,130,000 after buying an additional 63,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,322,801,000 after buying an additional 57,690 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:GWW opened at $955.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $980.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,016.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,053.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total transaction of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.