Marietta Investment Partners LLC Decreases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Marietta Investment Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 626 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 2.8% of Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.2 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,032.22 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,037.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $970.23 and its 200 day moving average is $956.01. The company has a market capitalization of $50.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.28 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on GWW. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price target on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.