W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 105 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,006.70 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,019.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,077.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market cap of $48.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS 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 last year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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 on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

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.