LRI Investments LLC Sells 28 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

LRI Investments LLC cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 28.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 70 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 28 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $74,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.2% in the fourth 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 period. Matrix Trust Co increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 584.6% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 89 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $202,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Unique Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 1,647 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,736,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,068.03 on Wednesday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $995.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,065.54. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $51.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly 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 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on 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. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. Two investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,120.00.

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.