West Coast Financial LLC Cuts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

West Coast Financial LLC cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,179 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 259 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.0% of West Coast Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. West Coast Financial LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,687,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,932,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 2,188 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,306,000 after buying an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after buying an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Puff Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $280,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7%

GWW traded up $7.58 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $1,083.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 144,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,683. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $52.05 billion, a PE ratio of 27.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The business's 50-day moving average is $1,030.08 and its 200-day moving average is $1,057.73. 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 (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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.62 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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 cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's 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 now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were 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 now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.