W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,013 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 706 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned approximately 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $58,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Optas LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,476,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:GWW traded down $4.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,105.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 236,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,978. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $747.00 and a 1 year high of $1,130.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,035.68 and a 200-day moving average of $971.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

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.