W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 428,986 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,660 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.88% of W.W. Grainger worth $445,669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.9% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 283 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Spring Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Spring Capital Management LLC now owns 8,441 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,616,000 after buying an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $154,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.0% in the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 138 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on 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. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $4.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1,188.43. The company had a trading volume of 191,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,475. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,126.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,011.38. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $800.97 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

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.