W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Sells $301,056.00 in Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were 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 owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1%

GWW stock traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,086.69. 360,822 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,431. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,022.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,060.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a market cap of $52.20 billion, a PE ratio of 28.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.62 EPS. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share 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 paid a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

About W.W. Grainger

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.