Argent Trust Co Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Argent Trust Co lessened its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 199 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

GWW stock opened at $1,030.10 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $674.41 and a 52 week high of $1,034.18. The company has a market cap of $50.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $965.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $955.58.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Robert W. Baird lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,014.11.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 approximately $111,650,478.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.