Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Lowers Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 596 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 5,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,607 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 236.9% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 11,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,801,000 after purchasing an additional 7,988 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,172.40 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,086.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $992.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $772.13 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.