State of Tennessee Department of Treasury Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

State of Tennessee Department of Treasury decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,817 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 530 shares during the quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $10,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of GWW traded down $2.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,009.37. 46,398 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 287,168. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $986.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,069.54. The firm has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a report 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,130.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate 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.