US Bancorp DE Sells 12,900 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

US Bancorp DE trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,848 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 12,900 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $48,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of GWW traded up $11.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $966.40. 158,522 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 238,277. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $641.95 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $970.30 and its 200-day moving average is $905.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.61 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.34 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

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.