Invesco Ltd. Sells 103,230 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. has reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 20.1%, selling over 103,000 shares and now holds approximately 411,096 shares worth $406 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported a quarterly EPS of $9.97, missing the consensus estimate, but showed a 5.6% year-over-year revenue increase to $4.55 billion.
• The company declared a $2.26 quarterly dividend with an intended annualized yield of 1.0%, set to be paid on September 1st.

Invesco Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 20.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 411,096 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 103,230 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned 0.86% of W.W. Grainger worth $406,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 980 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $390,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 771 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $813,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 7,399 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,799,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on 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, July 11th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two 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 company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $2.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $972.09. The company had a trading volume of 64,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 286,376. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $46.49 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,028.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,024.46. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.76 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

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.