W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Reduced by AXS Investments LLC

AXS Investments LLC lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 155 shares during the quarter. AXS Investments LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.9% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Tsfg LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $10.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $964.87. The stock had a trading volume of 64,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,374. The company has a 50-day moving average of $970.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $903.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $47.35 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $641.95 and a fifty-two week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.61 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

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.