W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Diversify Advisory Services LLC

Diversify Advisory Services LLC trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 36.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 503 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 289 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth $410,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 89.2% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 14,698 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,261,000 after buying an additional 6,928 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,462 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,026,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 22,699 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7,800.0% in the 2nd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7 %

GWW opened at $1,120.86 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,129.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,055.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $865.50 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

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.