Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Sells 534 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,658 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 534 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:GWW traded down $2.46 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $915.51. 128,957 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 243,521. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $925.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $927.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $674.41 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.61 earnings per share. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $959.44.

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.