Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $3.01 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 35.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,042 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,684 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Columbia River Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 22.4% in the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 93 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $6.76 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1,051.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 67,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,253. The stock has a market cap of $50.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $1,059.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,036.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research cut 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, 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. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About W.W. Grainger

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.