Milestone Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Milestone Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 80.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 390 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,606 shares during the quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company'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 value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's 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 value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $11.24 on Wednesday, hitting $1,076.80. The stock had a trading volume of 189,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,859. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $51.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50 day moving average price is $1,026.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,058.22.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average 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.