W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Tobam

Tobam decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 54.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 107 shares during the quarter. Tobam’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $80,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $392,470,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,712,000 after purchasing an additional 43,043 shares during the period. Finally, FIL Ltd grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 240,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $199,595,000 after purchasing an additional 42,395 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Nine 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $984.92 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $947.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $953.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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.