Marcum Wealth LLC Sells 47 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Marcum Wealth LLC lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 689,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $571,042,000 after purchasing an additional 11,460 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $392,470,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 440,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $365,334,000 after purchasing an additional 10,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 265,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,688,000 after buying an additional 4,893 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Loop Capital decreased 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, April 29th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $2.67 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $952.66. The stock had a trading volume of 299,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,666. The business’s 50 day moving average is $924.55 and its 200-day moving average is $946.61. 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 quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $46.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.