Acadian Asset Management LLC Sells 61,768 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Acadian Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 42.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 61,768 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned 0.17% of W.W. Grainger worth $86,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE GWW traded down $11.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $945.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 192,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,335. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The company has a market capitalization of $46.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $924.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $937.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.61 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.