W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Mattern Capital Management LLC

Mattern Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,748 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 713 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 1.5% of Mattern Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Mattern Capital Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Welch & Forbes LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. United Community Bank increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 485 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,828 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,089,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GWW. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report 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 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.4%

GWW stock opened at $1,042.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.21. 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 one year low of $888.75 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,054.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,044.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS 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 is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GWW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.