W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Bellwether Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Bellwether Advisors LLC reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 44.4% to 1,634 shares, valued at approximately $1.61 million.
• W.W. Grainger reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $9.86, exceeding analyst expectations, while its revenue showed a 1.7% increase year-over-year.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $2.26 per share, reflecting a yield of 0.86%, up from $2.05 previously.

Bellwether Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 44.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,634 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,307 shares during the quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the 1st 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 acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $535,910,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after buying an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 4,053.3% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 53,910 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,824,000 after purchasing an additional 52,612 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. 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 company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE GWW traded down $1.16 on Thursday, reaching $1,041.51. The company had a trading volume of 201,412 shares, compared to its average volume of 278,422. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,054.98 and a 200-day moving average of $1,035.88.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.