Algebris UK Ltd Sells 762 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• Algebris UK Ltd significantly reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 67.0%, selling 762 shares and leaving it with 376 shares valued at $344,000 at the end of the first quarter.
• W.W. Grainger recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $2.26 per share, marking a positive change from the previous dividend of $2.05.
• Analysts have mixed views on W.W. Grainger's stock, with price targets ranging from $966.00 to $1,215.00 and a consensus rating of "Hold" based on the recent evaluations.

Algebris UK Ltd reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 67.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 376 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 762 shares during the quarter. Algebris UK Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Crew Capital Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,048.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,056.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,035.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,116.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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