GTS Securities LLC Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

GTS Securities LLC cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 97.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 361 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 16,761 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Bancreek Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $3,687,000. Columbus Macro LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 484.2% in the fourth quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 5,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,145,000 after purchasing an additional 4,832 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 959 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $996,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 2,188 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,306,000 after buying an additional 872 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW traded down $13.95 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $1,073.61. 159,443 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 252,047. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,024.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,058.00. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% 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 valued at $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on GWW. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

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.