W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,006 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 94 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth about $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,092.96 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $800.97 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $53.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.63, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,151.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,027.56.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. 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. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,398 shares of company stock valued at $25,116,181 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.