Brendel Financial Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Brendel Financial Advisors LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 82.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 519 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,488 shares during the period. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $1.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $1,038.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 296,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,783. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,053.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,045.61. The company has a market capitalization of $49.88 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 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.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. 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%. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research cut shares of 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.