Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. Sells 380 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. decreased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,937 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 380 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises 2.1% of Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW traded down $3.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $926.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 158,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,744. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $979.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $876.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a PE ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger 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 transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other W.W. Grainger 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 transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.