W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lessened by Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 61.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,645 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,136 shares during the period. 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 made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded up $11.25 during trading on Monday, hitting $1,040.00. The stock had a trading volume of 211,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,590. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.70, a PEG ratio of 2.69 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. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $888.74 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,056.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,040.99.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business 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 represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of 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. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note 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 company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.