W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Vectors Research Management LLC

Vectors Research Management LLC cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,229 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth approximately $487,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 78.9% during the 1st quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 11,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,987,000 after purchasing an additional 5,195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $332,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.2 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,175.62 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,073.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $986.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $772.13 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GWW. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,086.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,775 shares of company stock valued at $52,489,979 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.