Daymark Wealth Partners LLC Lowers Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Daymark Wealth Partners LLC decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 663 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 66 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $1,741,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a 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 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America assumed 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 on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given 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.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,120.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,126.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,056.43. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $868.53 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.