W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lessened by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,001 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 927 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $22,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $249,000. Optas LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 33.3% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,579 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,394 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $187,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 116.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,506,000 after purchasing an additional 18,216 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $2.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,043.27. 225,497 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 248,331. The firm has a market cap of $50.12 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.21. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,052.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,048.70. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $888.75 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm 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 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWW. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on 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. 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.