WBI Investments LLC Sells 320 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

WBI Investments LLC lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 62.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 190 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 320 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $200,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,489,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 442 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $399,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $598,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 588 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target 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. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,120.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents 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 accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,099.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50-day moving average is $1,003.33 and its 200 day moving average is $1,064.86.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

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.

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