Hantz Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 90 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,839,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,206.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,113.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,004.11. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $775.00 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger 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.