Short Interest in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Increases By 25.8%

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,610,000 shares, a growth of 25.8% from the May 31st total of 1,280,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 244,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days. Approximately 3.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on 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, Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $896.19 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger has a fifty-two week low of $674.41 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $927.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $926.88. The firm has a market cap of $43.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.17. 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 (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $392,470,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $159,365,000. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $432,411,000 after buying an additional 47,731 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,712,000 after buying an additional 43,043 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.