Johnson Financial Group Inc. Sells 328 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Johnson Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 70.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 328 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $517,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $2,675,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,385 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,477,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $848,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,352,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,130.89.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,015.06 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $986.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,070.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

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 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

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.

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