Stephens Inc. AR Reduces Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 72 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,058.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,095.68 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $758.11 and a twelve month high of $1,130.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,035.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $972.05.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th 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 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

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.