W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Checchi Capital Advisers LLC

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 575 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $519,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the first 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 purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first 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. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Baird R W downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $968.34 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $944.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $952.79. The company has a market cap of $47.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.