W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Bank of New Hampshire

Bank of New Hampshire cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $244,000. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.8% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.6% during the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 5,749 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,187,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.6% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 2,475 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,233,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Certuity LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.5% during the second quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded up $5.81 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,059.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 58,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 148,646. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $806.08 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,143.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,041.75. The company has a market capitalization of $51.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,140.56.

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.