W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Sells $150,753.75 in Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded up $2.32 on Friday, reaching $1,178.33. 228,414 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,665. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. 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 $1,073.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $986.32.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avestar Capital LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Optas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,086.50.

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.

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