Sentry Investment Management LLC Lowers Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 166 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 27 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after acquiring an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,340,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 19.0% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 644 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $669,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,003.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $48.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,067.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,074.45.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (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 company posted $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.18%.

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.