Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Sells 294 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 27.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 787 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 294 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during 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 in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE GWW traded down $8.78 on Tuesday, reaching $1,091.63. The company had a trading volume of 149,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,846. 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. The stock has a market cap of $52.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.20, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $1,003.33 and its 200-day moving average is $1,064.86.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.62 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insider Activity

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 stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. 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. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,120.00.

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.