Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 10,951 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 618,361 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 10,951 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.27% of W.W. Grainger worth $651,783,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of GWW stock traded down $30.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $942.43. 451,542 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,393. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,013.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,076.44.

Remove Ads

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.