Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Has $9.94 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 21.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,063 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,804 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of GWW stock traded up $11.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,059.71. 324,808 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,641. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $1,062.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,037.73. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $50.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. 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 (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,116.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by 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.