W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lowered by DE Burlo Group Inc.

Key Points

• DE Burlo Group Inc. reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 30.1%, now holding 5,380 shares valued at approximately $5.3 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported a quarterly earnings per share of $9.86, exceeding analyst estimates and showing a 1.7% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company's recent dividend was increased to $2.26 per share, representing a 0.86% yield and a payout ratio of 23.21%.

DE Burlo Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 30.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,380 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,320 shares during the period. DE Burlo Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,685.7% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,033,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $175,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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 report on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut shares of 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. upped 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $2.52 on Wednesday, reaching $1,052.56. 108,854 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 277,992. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.03, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The business's 50-day moving average is $1,055.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,035.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.