W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 30.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 295 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $701,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,075,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 13,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,432 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $90,272,000 after buying an additional 6,197 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $917.97 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $926.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $927.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $45.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

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.