Isthmus Partners LLC Cuts Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Isthmus Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,452 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,052 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for 1.9% of Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after acquiring an additional 36,892 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 58,961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,249,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth approximately $240,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $295,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,007.06 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $48.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,054.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,076.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.