New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 3,173 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

New York State Teachers Retirement System reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,923 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,173 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $46,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $42,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,100.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.38, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $721.99 and a 1-year high of $1,129.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,030.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $969.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,043.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. 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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.