W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Position Trimmed by Atria Investments Inc

Atria Investments Inc cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 406 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,581 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,681,000 after buying an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Architects LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $220,000. Finally, Graypoint LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 research report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $995.60 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,057.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,075.43. The company has a market cap of $48.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 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.