Uncommon Cents Investing LLC Trims Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC decreased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the third quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,187,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.4% in the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 633 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 11.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 71,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,638,000 after purchasing an additional 7,273 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,984,000 after buying an additional 8,865 shares during the period. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $915,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

GWW traded down $2.87 on Thursday, hitting $1,017.30. The company had a trading volume of 164,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 238,109. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $953.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $831.79. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $625.97 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was 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 owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $913.89.

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.