W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Geneva Partners LLC

Geneva Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 47.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,903 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,709 shares during the quarter. Geneva Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $966,451,000 after purchasing an additional 204,507 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,074,055 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $846,989,000 after purchasing an additional 5,744 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,027,150 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $706,047,000 after acquiring an additional 100,380 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 751,855 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $520,163,000 after purchasing an additional 13,063 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 654,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $364,168,000 after purchasing an additional 130,519 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE GWW traded up $5.11 on Friday, reaching $942.65. The stock had a trading volume of 260,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,777. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $979.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $865.64. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $641.95 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. UBS Group lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $913.89.

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.