Stephens Inc. AR Sells 31 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 502 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 13.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,560 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,491,000 after acquiring an additional 1,405 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.6% in the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $612,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zhang Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.8 %

GWW stock opened at $1,027.47 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,092.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,070.07. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.