W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Trimmed by Pallas Capital Advisors LLC

Pallas Capital Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,695 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 254 shares during the quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,687,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,833 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 66.3% in the fourth 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 period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $80,818,000 after buying an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Puff Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $280,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued 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, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the 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 now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,094.92 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $1,032.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,055.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $888.75 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $52.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. 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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