Insider Selling: W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Sells $13,481,538.56 in Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.9 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,029.15 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $983.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $959.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,049.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.41, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.6% during the third quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.6% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,402,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,558,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $702,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,014.11.

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.