Diversify Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 792 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 154 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $870,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business’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 $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

GWW stock opened at $1,100.34 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $721.99 and a one year high of $1,129.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,030.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $969.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.30.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,043.20.

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.