Insider Selling: W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CFO Sells 704 Shares of Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:GWW traded up $21.18 on Tuesday, hitting $1,116.86. 98,380 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 233,959. The company has a market cap of $54.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,038.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $973.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $758.11 and a 52 week high of $1,130.01.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Northcoast Research began 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 target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on 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, StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,058.50.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after purchasing an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,386,000 after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.