W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,482 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 681 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $31,099,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised 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 last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Columbia River Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 22.4% during the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 93 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Friday, July 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:GWW traded up $1.72 on Friday, reaching $1,053.93. The stock had a trading volume of 241,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 324,981. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,057.48 and a 200 day moving average of $1,035.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $50.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.62 EPS. On average, research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

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.