Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,417 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 62 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for 1.0% of Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $797,000. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 11.7% in the third quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,727,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 27,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,665,000 after buying an additional 1,969 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price 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, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE GWW opened at $942.43 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,013.43 and a 200 day moving average of $1,076.44. The company has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. 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 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.