Cadinha & Co. LLC Lowers Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Cadinha & Co. LLC decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,041 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 315 shares during the period. Cadinha & Co. LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,230,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.0% during the third quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC now owns 312 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $2.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,113.05. 697,483 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 211,983. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business's 50-day moving average is $1,133.37 and its 200-day moving average is $1,052.65. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $855.01 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on 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. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

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.