State of Alaska Department of Revenue Sells 1,302 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,302 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.9 %

GWW opened at $1,035.98 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,101.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,067.47. The stock has a market cap of $50.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

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.