W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,805 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.19% of W.W. Grainger worth $84,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,167,913,000 after buying an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 689,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $571,042,000 after purchasing an additional 11,460 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $392,470,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 440,860 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $365,334,000 after purchasing an additional 10,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 265,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,688,000 after purchasing an additional 4,893 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $960.06 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $949.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $953.81. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. 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 company has a market cap of $47.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.71 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of 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. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,017.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.