W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Pallas Capital Advisors LLC

Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,949 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,270,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $848,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,424,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $23.16 during trading on Monday, reaching $1,075.64. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 267,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,884. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,139.89 and a 200 day moving average of $1,046.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.38 billion, a PE ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $833.50 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.