SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,591 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 101 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of GWW traded down $2.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,017.30. 164,984 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 238,109. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $953.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $831.79. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $625.97 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $49.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 20.55%.

W.W. Grainger 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.