W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,047 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 321 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,042.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,111.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,067.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

W.W. Grainger Company 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.