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

Spring Capital Management LLC reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,093 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 281 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises 5.3% of Spring Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Spring Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,707,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GWW. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Retirement Group LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $1,020.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $953.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $831.79. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $625.97 and a 1-year high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market cap of $50.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.