KBC Group NV Sells 434 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

KBC Group NV decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 434 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,125.99 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $54.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.52, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $1,121.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,063.88. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid 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 0.73%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

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.