Toth Financial Advisory Corp Reduces Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Toth Financial Advisory Corp decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,797 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,066 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.5% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Toth Financial Advisory Corp's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,001,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 978,154 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $810,586,000 after purchasing an additional 12,445 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 689,090 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $571,042,000 after purchasing an additional 11,460 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $432,411,000 after purchasing an additional 47,731 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $392,470,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 440,860 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $365,334,000 after acquiring an additional 10,940 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $1.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $902.24. 422,671 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 254,463. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $928.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $925.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.61 EPS. The business's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.