OLD Republic International Corp Sells 9,000 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

OLD Republic International Corp reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,000 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.9% of OLD Republic International Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. OLD Republic International Corp owned about 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $50,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of GWW stock traded up $2.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $956.35. 74,759 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 236,094. The company has a market cap of $46.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $976.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $887.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $938.89.

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.