Castellan Group Decreases Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Castellan Group lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 542 shares during the period. Castellan Group’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in 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 last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,027.47 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,092.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,070.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

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.