Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 34.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,336 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,220 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,308,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 15,633 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,443,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,456 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,438,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Dorsey Wright & Associates lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates now owns 4,459 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,405,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 374 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,116,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger
In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
W.W. Grainger Stock Performance
Shares of GWW traded down $107.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $932.25. 1,263,025 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 286,864. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.18. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $1,054.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,035.63. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $893.99 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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 research report on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target 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. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on GWW
About W.W. Grainger
(
Free Report)
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.
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