Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,676 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 770 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $4.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,015.06. The stock had a trading volume of 149,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,784. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $986.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,070.05. The company has a market cap of $48.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

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.