W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Fiduciary Trust Co

Fiduciary Trust Co decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,941 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 34 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $1,741,000. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $3,687,000. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,128,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brendel Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 496.6% in the 4th quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,170,000 after buying an additional 2,503 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.0 %

GWW opened at $1,035.87 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $49.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $992.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,065.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

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.