W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Arkadios Wealth Advisors

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger by 50.4%, bringing its holdings down to 286 shares valued at approximately $282,000.
• Several institutional investors increased their holdings in W.W. Grainger, including Golden State Wealth Management, which boosted its stake by 1,685.7%.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $9.97, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07, but achieving a revenue of $4.55 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 50.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 286 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 291 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% in the first quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 34.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW traded up $6.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $948.75. The stock had a trading volume of 208,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 289,049. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,040.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,030.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. The company's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business'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 transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.