Ritholtz Wealth Management Has $591,000 Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Ritholtz Wealth Management cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 54.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 598 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 711 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $187,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 116.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,506,000 after acquiring an additional 18,216 shares during the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,877,000. New England Research & Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $362,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on 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 raised their price target on 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,043.27 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1,050.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,049.74. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $888.75 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $50.12 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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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