West Coast Financial LLC Reduces Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

West Coast Financial LLC decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 34.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,900 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises about 1.1% of West Coast Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. West Coast Financial LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at $848,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Concord Asset Management LLC VA grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,374,000 after buying an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during 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 buying an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded up $16.49 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1,109.85. The stock had a trading volume of 300,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,374. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,136.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,048.83. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $836.84 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

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 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.