Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 28.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 837 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company 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 on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,037.97 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $983.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $959.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,049.02. The company has a market capitalization of $50.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

W.W. Grainger 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.