Montecito Bank & Trust Trims Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Montecito Bank & Trust lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 58 shares during the quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third 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 grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,120.63 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,126.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,056.43. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $868.53 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.57 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

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.