Los Angeles Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 142,714 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 85,426 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.29% of W.W. Grainger worth $148,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.3 %
NYSE GWW traded up $15.42 on Friday, reaching $1,202.35. The company had a trading volume of 287,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,711. The firm has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $772.13 and a fifty-two week high of $1,210.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,054.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $979.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.
Insider Activity
In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,775 shares of company stock worth $52,489,979 in the last three months. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,058.50.
Read Our Latest Report on W.W. Grainger
About W.W. Grainger
(
Free Report)
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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