W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson Sells 27,502 Shares

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:GWW traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $1,012.63. 158,573 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 239,054. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market cap of $49.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.87, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $963.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $955.18.

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. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,014.11.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% 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.