M&T Bank Corp Has $10.31 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

M&T Bank Corp trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 413 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $10,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors 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 acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $65,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of GWW stock traded up $11.84 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,059.71. 324,808 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,641. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,062.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,037.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.91 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18.

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, beating 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 business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research cut 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Two 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 MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business'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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was 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 the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's 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 directly owned 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.