BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 3,257 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,008 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,257 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.14% of W.W. Grainger worth $69,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $10.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,035.87. The stock had a trading volume of 287,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,084. The firm has a market cap of $49.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G 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. The business's 50-day moving average is $992.54 and its 200 day moving average is $1,065.99. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.