Vectors Research Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vectors Research Management LLC trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 36 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.7% during the first quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,465,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,268 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $19,034,000 after purchasing an additional 1,446 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,033,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 16.7% during the first quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 15,823 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,630,000 after buying an additional 2,268 shares during the period. Finally, Suncoast Equity Management increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.6% during the first quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 29,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,392,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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 research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research downgraded 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,038.39 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $49.88 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,054.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,044.58. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $888.75 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. 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. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

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.