W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 428,986 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,660 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.88% of W.W. Grainger worth $445,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.0 %

GWW stock opened at $1,192.60 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $794.00 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,123.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,010.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,109.00.

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.