SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. Trims Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. reduced its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Realta Investment Advisors grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 824 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $868,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,606,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 5,148 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,426,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,035.98 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,101.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,067.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on GWW. 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 for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About W.W. Grainger

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.