Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 50 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bessemer Group Inc. cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $18.83 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $932.47. The stock had a trading volume of 212,588 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,899. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $923.99 and a 200 day moving average of $939.08. The stock has a market cap of $45.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.17. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.61 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $959.44.

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.