Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Has $547,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 519 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 155.6% during the 4th quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,064 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,284,000 after purchasing an additional 2,474 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $572,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 7,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,435,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $411,000. Finally, Trueblood Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,120.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $54.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $868.53 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,126.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,056.43.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly 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). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were 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 of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the 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 value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.