Swiss National Bank Sells 400 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.3%, holding approximately 0.26% of the company worth $122.2 million after selling 400 shares.
• W.W. Grainger reported a Q2 EPS of $9.97, missing consensus estimates by $0.10, with a revenue increase of 5.6% from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, reflecting a 1.0% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 22.94%.

Swiss National Bank lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 0.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.26% of W.W. Grainger worth $122,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $65,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. 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 research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two equities 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, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $9.97 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $940.16. The company had a trading volume of 254,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 398,299. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,037.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,027.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 49.63%. The business's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.76 EPS. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.