Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Decreases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 51.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,408 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,585 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,540,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Objective Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $286,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Townsend & Associates Inc increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.6% in the third quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 16,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,366,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Pegasus Partners Ltd. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 20.4% in the third quarter. Pegasus Partners Ltd. now owns 589 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $612,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $295,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE GWW traded down $13.02 on Tuesday, reaching $1,207.91. The company had a trading volume of 69,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,630. 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 firm has a market cap of $58.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,059.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $981.51. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $772.13 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About W.W. Grainger

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.