W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Lessened by Gladius Capital Management LP

Gladius Capital Management LP decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 41.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 213 shares during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $7.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $966.37. The company had a trading volume of 294,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 246,183. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $47.42 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $935.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $951.12. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by 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.