W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stake Lessened by Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc reduced its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,987 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 501 shares during the quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,202,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $202,000. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $1,741,000. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 584.6% during the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 89 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $10,128,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction 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 represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $23.16 on Monday, hitting $1,075.64. The stock had a trading volume of 267,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,887. The company's 50-day moving average is $1,139.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,047.21. The stock has a market cap of $52.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $833.50 and a one year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.