W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Holdings Trimmed by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 18 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Finally, Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,687,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $923.53 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,009.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,076.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 EPS. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,130.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is owned by 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.