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

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,350,000 shares, a drop of 10.6% from the January 15th total of 1,510,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 262,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.1 days. Currently, 3.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW traded down $4.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,023.20. 377,332 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 298,995. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,080.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,072.69. The firm has a market cap of $49.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

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.