Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 4,655 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 276,153 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,655 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 0.9% of Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.56% of W.W. Grainger worth $228,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $966,451,000 after acquiring an additional 204,507 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $432,411,000 after purchasing an additional 47,731 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after purchasing an additional 43,043 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 102.1% in the third quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 45,625 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,565,000 after purchasing an additional 23,055 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 18.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 141,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,809,000 after purchasing an additional 22,523 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. 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 report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $2.08 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $922.38. The stock had a trading volume of 99,905 shares, compared to its average volume of 238,794. The business’s 50 day moving average is $979.21 and its 200-day moving average is $879.29. The company has a market cap of $45.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $641.95 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.54%.

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.