W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Position Reduced by JGP Wealth Management LLC

JGP Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,187 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 913 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for 1.7% of JGP Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. JGP Wealth Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,027,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,687,000. Columbus Macro LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 484.2% in the 4th 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 lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised 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 during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $80,818,000 after buying an additional 67,018 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $7.28 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1,083.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 55,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,141. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $52.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,028.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,058.34.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 over the last three months. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on GWW. 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. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.