W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 31.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,417 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,234 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Baird R W lowered W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on 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. Loop Capital cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $902.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.19. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $674.41 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $928.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $924.92.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. W.W. Grainger’s 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.