Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Sells 24 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 553 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 24 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DJE Kapital AG bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $7,934,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 83.0% in the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 1,909 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $783,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 61.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 704 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $999.11 on Tuesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $48.17 billion, a PE ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,061.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,075.91.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. Equities research 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 was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.