Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 4,433 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,358 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,433 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $44,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $934.57 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $979.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $877.66. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. The company has a market cap of $45.86 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.