McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. Sells 6,377 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,486 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,377 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,816,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 128.8% during the second quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,214,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower View Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $110,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,079.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.27, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,016.60 and a 200-day moving average of $992.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,103.69.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total value of $11,829,368.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at $101,035,434.45. This represents a 10.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,249,953.82. The trade was a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on GWW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Oppenheimer raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,045.75.

W.W. Grainger Company Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.