W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Sells $13,481,538.56 in Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

GWW opened at $1,040.46 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $981.47 and a 200 day moving average of $958.94. The company has a market cap of $51.05 billion, a PE ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,049.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

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.