Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC Sells 246 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 21.3% during the first quarter, now holding 911 shares valued at approximately $900,000.
• W.W. Grainger reported earnings of $9.86 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with a revenue increase of 1.7% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26, an increase from the previous $2.05, representing an annual yield of 0.86%.

Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 21.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 911 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 246 shares during the period. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $900,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3%

GWW stock traded down $3.22 during trading on Thursday, hitting $1,039.45. The company had a trading volume of 170,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 278,205. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,054.98 and a 200-day moving average of $1,035.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $49.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.18.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. 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 company posted $9.62 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.