Strategy Asset Managers LLC Cuts Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Strategy Asset Managers LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 71.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 576 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,415 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $324,841,000 after purchasing an additional 17,699 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $219,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $201,413,000 after acquiring an additional 36,892 shares during the period. Finally, abrdn plc grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 171,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $178,172,000 after buying an additional 4,014 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm'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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,178.45 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $1,090.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $993.70. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $772.13 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business 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 business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given 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 0.70%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

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.