Captrust Financial Advisors Sells 212 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Captrust Financial Advisors lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 212 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,193.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,117.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,006.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $794.00 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.