Checchi Capital Advisers LLC Reduces Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 575 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $519,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Optas LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $968.34 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $944.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $952.79.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 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 Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.