W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,556 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 543 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,603,000 after buying an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $1,741,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded down $61.64 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,064.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 839,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 307,302. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $51.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,118.60 and a 200-day moving average of $1,064.73.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

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.