Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA Has $2.63 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 61.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,645 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,136 shares during the quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,016.48 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,055.94 and a 200 day moving average of $1,043.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $888.75 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share 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 given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Wolfe Research lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.

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.