OLD Republic International Corp Lowers Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

OLD Republic International Corp cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,000 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 1.9% of OLD Republic International Corp's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. OLD Republic International Corp owned 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $50,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $958.96. The company had a trading volume of 176,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 263,772. The company has a 50 day moving average of $975.72 and a 200 day moving average of $889.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. The company's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.