W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,073 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 190 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.0% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,167 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.0% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on 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. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,023.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,075.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,072.00. 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 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 in the prior year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.