W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 43,043 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Gitterman Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $326,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $982.23 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $941.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $952.40. The firm has a market cap of $48.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on GWW. Loop Capital reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.