Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. Has $5.54 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,253 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 49 shares during the quarter. Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $221,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,406 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,826,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guidance Capital Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 838 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $940,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,042.41 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $50.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $1,108.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,067.04.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GWW. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned 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 stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

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.