Voya Financial Advisors Inc. Has $255,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Voya Financial Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 111 shares during the period. Voya Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 138 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,426 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,287,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,658,000. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,518,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,046 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,846,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,185.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $800.97 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,132.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,014.23.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 EPS. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend 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

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s 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 value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 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.