W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,560,000 shares, a decline of 5.5% from the October 15th total of 1,650,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 208,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.5 days. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $6.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $1,172.13. The stock had a trading volume of 191,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,469. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,082.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $990.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger has a one year low of $772.13 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,086.50.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 537.5% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% 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.