Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Sells 445 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 31.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 949 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 445 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $65,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,059.71 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $50.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,062.07 and its 200-day moving average is $1,037.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.62 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 23.21%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,116.25.

About W.W. Grainger

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.