Fiduciary Trust Co Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Fiduciary Trust Co trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,941 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 34 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,035.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $992.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,065.99. The company has a market capitalization of $49.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business’s revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.87%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

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.