Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 3,297 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,521 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,297 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $40,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $684,042,000 after acquiring an additional 691,783 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $535,910,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $175,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This 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.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $10.29 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,045.41. 203,807 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,933. The company has a market capitalization of $50.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,059.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,036.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change 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 (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price 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 issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

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.