AXQ Capital LP Trims Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

AXQ Capital LP reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 964 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 222 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.2 %

GWW stock opened at $971.57 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $46.85 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,038.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,075.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

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.