Forsta AP Fonden Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Forsta AP Fonden trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 16,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $17,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.4% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.3% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,354,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. SRN Advisors LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the second quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 1,847 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,666,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth approximately $702,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth $4,558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,113.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $54.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,122.75 and a 200-day moving average of $1,063.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

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.