W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Laurie R. Thomson Sells 125 Shares of Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,178.33 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,078.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $988.02. The company has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after acquiring an additional 169,897 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $906,700,000 after purchasing an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,086.50.

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.