Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 620 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 19,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 620 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $20,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $984,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.8% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,411,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. DeDora Capital Inc. increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.1% in the second quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.4% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,369 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,138,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,158.44 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $800.97 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,137.47 and its 200 day moving average is $1,017.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

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.