W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Citizens & Northern Corp grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 1,649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,738,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,908 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,281,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,307,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,135,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,023.99 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $1,075.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,072.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released 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 business earned $8.33 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

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.