Kathmere Capital Management LLC Sells 107 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kathmere Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 107 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,905,000. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.9% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 741 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $669,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Dundas Partners LLP lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the second quarter. Dundas Partners LLP now owns 73,650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $66,450,000 after acquiring an additional 953 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 187.0% in the second quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 5,065 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,264,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 62,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,424,000 after acquiring an additional 2,554 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,035.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $977.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $958.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,049.02.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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 lowered their target price on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.