W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 40.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,579 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,074 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,007.06 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $1,054.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,076.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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