Meridian Wealth Management LLC Sells 43 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meridian Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 346 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 43 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.6% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 12,357 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,500,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 16.8% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,581 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.5% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 10,304 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,704,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.9% during the third quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $985.19 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,059.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,076.06. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price 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. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

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.