KBC Group NV Sells 452 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,786 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 452 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $570,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at $487,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 53.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at about $400,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,275 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,401,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,178.33 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $57.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $772.13 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,078.55 and a 200-day moving average of $988.96.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,086.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.