Arjuna Capital decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,799 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 265 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 1.3% of Arjuna Capital's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Arjuna Capital's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GWW. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after acquiring an additional 691,783 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $175,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after buying an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
W.W. Grainger Stock Performance
NYSE:GWW opened at $1,059.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,062.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,037.36. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of 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. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,116.25.
Read Our Latest Report on W.W. Grainger
W.W. Grainger Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
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