Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Sells 435 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,420 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 435 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $21,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, 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. One 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $18.89 on Wednesday, hitting $1,027.47. 345,087 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 299,035. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,092.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,070.07. The company has a market cap of $50.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. 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.