Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH Trims Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 20.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,206 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 315 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $54,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related 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 transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.7%

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $18.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,063.31. The company had a trading volume of 157,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,989. The firm has a market cap of $51.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,044.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,051.84. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $888.75 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.85%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.