Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Decreases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 0.9% of Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,664,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 41,198 shares of company stock worth $41,784,426. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.4 %

GWW opened at $1,122.38 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $758.11 and a 12 month high of $1,130.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,038.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $973.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.43 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.