Spire Wealth Management Decreases Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Spire Wealth Management decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 36.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,820 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,555 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,633,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $11,075,000. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 633 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 71,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $49,638,000 after purchasing an additional 7,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,984,000 after purchasing an additional 8,865 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE GWW traded up $8.10 on Monday, hitting $940.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 185,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 238,133. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $977.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $883.19. The firm has a market cap of $46.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group raised their price target 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, StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently 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 3,813 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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.

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.