W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Ellevest Inc.

Ellevest Inc. decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 497 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 20 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FORA Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 6,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 125.2% during the 4th quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 1,727 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 960 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,730,000. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $366,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,035.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $992.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,065.99. The stock has a market cap of $49.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

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.