First Affirmative Financial Network Sells 41 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

First Affirmative Financial Network trimmed its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 544 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 41 shares during the quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at about $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,113.89 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,122.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,063.45. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $54.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.19, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. 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 earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,140.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.