Albert D Mason Inc. Decreases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Albert D Mason Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,285 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 244 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 1.5% of Albert D Mason Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Albert D Mason Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $362,000. Willis Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $7,538,000. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 143.4% in the first quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,773,000 after acquiring an additional 5,829 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.3% in the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research downgraded 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 increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.7%

GWW stock traded down $18.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,063.31. The company had a trading volume of 157,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,591. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $888.75 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,041.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,053.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.