W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 79.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 231 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 877 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after purchasing an additional 691,783 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $175,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 sale, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. 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 company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $11.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1,040.00. The stock had a trading volume of 338,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,405. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $888.75 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.70, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,056.47 and its 200 day moving average is $1,040.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports 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. 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

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.