W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CFO Deidra C. Merriwether Sells 1,164 Shares

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of GWW traded up $7.89 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $931.74. The stock had a trading volume of 86,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,435. The business's fifty day moving average is $1,009.26 and its 200 day moving average is $1,076.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. 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 firm has a market cap of $44.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on GWW. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 244 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.9% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,671 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,651,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $684,042,000 after buying an additional 691,783 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 1st quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 140 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 102.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.