1858 Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

1858 Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the period. 1858 Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Busey Bank lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE GWW opened at $1,042.87 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,111.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,067.22. The stock has a market cap of $50.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.