Lbp Am Sa Sells 1,367 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Lbp Am Sa lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 46.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,587 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,367 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 485 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the first quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,049.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 2.74 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. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,062.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,037.94. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, 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. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was 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 owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 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 corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GWW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.