W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 49.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 375 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 370 shares during the quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $370,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Running Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 16.7% during the first quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 15,823 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $15,630,000 after buying an additional 2,268 shares in the last quarter. Suncoast Equity Management boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.6% during the first quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 29,755 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,392,000 after buying an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $269,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the first quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 59,264 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $58,543,000 after buying an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 12.3% during the first quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 540 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. 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 stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,035.51 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $888.75 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. The company has a market capitalization of $49.75 billion, a PE ratio of 26.59, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,053.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,045.61.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.

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