Mackenzie Financial Corp Reduces Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mackenzie Financial Corp lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 156,419 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 16,393 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned about 0.32% of W.W. Grainger worth $129,623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Retirement Group LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Stephens upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Loop Capital cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $954.58 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market cap of $46.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $979.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $860.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. Analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.55%.

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.