Stevens Capital Management LP Sells 903 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stevens Capital Management LP reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 79.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 903 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 108.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 8,541 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,871,000 after buying an additional 4,434 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.0% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 10,549 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $10,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,295 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 27,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,969 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 155.5% during the third quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 4,088 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,247,000 after acquiring an additional 2,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $3.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,185.16. 194,709 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,324. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $800.97 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,129.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,012.61.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

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.