Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC Sells 13 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 13 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at about $75,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $981.16 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,052.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,076.94. The company has a market capitalization of $47.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

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.