W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Foster & Motley Inc.

Foster & Motley Inc. cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 18 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % 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 business’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 transaction, 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. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,064.43 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,118.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,064.73. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $51.84 billion, a PE ratio of 28.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released 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 return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

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.