Hanlon Investment Management Inc. Decreases Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Hanlon Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,098 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 67 shares during the quarter. Hanlon Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,095.68 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $758.11 and a 12-month high of $1,130.01. The company has a market cap of $53.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,035.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $972.05.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.85 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 report on Friday. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,058.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.