Trust Co. of Vermont Trims Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Trust Co. of Vermont trimmed its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.0% during the third quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,810 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,346,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,856 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,928,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $374,000. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.1% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,857,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the third quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,091,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,030.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.5 %

GWW opened at $1,125.32 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,008.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $964.28. The company has a market capitalization of $55.22 billion, a PE ratio of 31.07, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $674.41 and a 1-year high of $1,128.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger 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.