Toth Financial Advisory Corp Sells 299 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Toth Financial Advisory Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,936 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 299 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 1.4% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,122.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,125.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,057.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $870.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was 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 owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 in the last three months. Company insiders own 9.50% 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.