W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Lowered by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,661 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,594 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.37% of W.W. Grainger worth $189,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE GWW traded down $4.27 on Tuesday, hitting $1,096.14. The stock had a trading volume of 37,435 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,410. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The business's fifty day moving average price is $1,003.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,064.86. 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 cap of $52.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price 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. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. 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. lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.