W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Short Interest Up 5.1% in July

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,440,000 shares, a growth of 5.1% from the June 30th total of 1,370,000 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 261,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.5 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $997.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.5 %

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $34.45 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $942.36. 565,937 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 246,279. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $925.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $943.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.24 billion, a PE ratio of 25.65, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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.