W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,239 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.6% in the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,515,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 110.4% in the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 852 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $589,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 47.1% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 7,778 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,381,000 after buying an additional 2,492 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.2% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JGP Wealth Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.4% in the third quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,222,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

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

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $19.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $928.65. 357,375 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 235,833. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $979.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $873.99. The firm has a market cap of $45.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $641.95 and a 1-year 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.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.55%.

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.