SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Reduces Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 27.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,123 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 429 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avestar Capital LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

GWW stock opened at $1,093.92 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $833.50 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.27 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,138.78 and a 200-day moving average of $1,048.51.

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 the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on GWW. Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

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.