W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson Sells 12,992 Shares

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the 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 owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded up $1.65 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,040.46. The stock had a trading volume of 142,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,712. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $981.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $958.94. The firm has a market cap of $51.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.73, 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. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,049.02.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.W. Grainger

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,857,000 after buying an additional 6,042 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 576.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,655,000 after acquiring an additional 4,737 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective 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 note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

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.