W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,791 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 711 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,938,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in 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 acquiring an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $324,841,000 after purchasing an additional 17,699 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $219,386,000 after buying an additional 1,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction 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 $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target 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 initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,043.20.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,104.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,025.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $967.91. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $710.24 and a 52-week high of $1,129.92. The firm has a market cap of $54.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS 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 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.64%.

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.