Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 3,938 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bessemer Group Inc. lowered its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 50.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,916 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,938 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,618,812,000 after acquiring an additional 40,376 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,256,400,000 after purchasing an additional 27,716 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after purchasing an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 584,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $616,465,000 after buying an additional 37,894 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of 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. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned 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 target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $13.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,028.72. The company had a trading volume of 375,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,050. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $888.75 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock's 50 day moving average is $1,056.47 and its 200-day moving average is $1,041.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.42 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 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. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm'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 value of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 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.