Fiduciary Group LLC Has $711,000 Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fiduciary Group LLC decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 857 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 41 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $326,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Callan Capital LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,306 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,082,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of GWW opened at $929.26 on Monday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market cap of $45.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $979.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $876.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.61 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 20.54%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. 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. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $941.67.

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.