Haverford Trust Co Sells 16 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Haverford Trust Co lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 745 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 16 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 38,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,275,000 after purchasing an additional 6,054 shares in the last quarter. Hirtle Callaghan & Co LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,618,812,000 after buying an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 376.0% during the 4th quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 1,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,149,000 after buying an additional 861 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 64,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,473,000 after acquiring an additional 6,429 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $992.20 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,036.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,077.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a market cap of $47.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued 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 yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued 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 an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

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.