Matt Fortin Sells 511 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $910.08 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. The company has a market capitalization of $44.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $930.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $924.59.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.61 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $959.44.

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.