Verus Capital Partners LLC Sells 55 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Verus Capital Partners LLC decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 55 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 20.2% in the third quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 1,302 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,353,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $717,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.8% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,776,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $362,000. Finally, Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 50,775 shares of company stock worth $52,489,979. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,086.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,202.39 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $772.13 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. 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 has a market cap of $58.56 billion, a PE ratio of 32.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,069.20 and its 200 day moving average is $985.00.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.