W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 33.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,862 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,461 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $542,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $244,000. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 346 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $932.74 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $977.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $881.00. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market cap of $45.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.61 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.