W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CFO Sells $778,335.36 in Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE GWW traded up $21.18 on Tuesday, reaching $1,116.86. 98,380 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,959. The company has a market cap of $54.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,038.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $973.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $758.11 and a 12 month high of $1,130.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. 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. Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,058.50.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.