Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $38.21 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,785 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,374 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $38,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Optas LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. CX Institutional raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the second quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions 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 shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were 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 directly owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. One 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $2.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,178.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 232,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,434. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $1,078.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $988.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. 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 (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 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.