Centerstone Investors LLC Sells 2,640 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Centerstone Investors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 58.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,897 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,640 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for 2.9% of Centerstone Investors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Centerstone Investors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320 over the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $4.31 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,085.50. 41,935 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 253,799. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,016.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,062.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.05, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. 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 previous year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

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.