Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Lowers Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 17,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,122.2% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $103,000. TrueWealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 58.5% in the second quarter. TrueWealth Advisors LLC now owns 382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 22.2% during the 2nd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, &PARTNERS lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 981.5% during the 2nd quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 4,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,491,000 after buying an additional 4,515 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $5.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $982.23. 131,187 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 244,234. The company’s 50 day moving average is $941.69 and its 200 day moving average is $952.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.28 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger 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.