Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 876 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,485,000. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 41.3% during the first quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,449,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.7% in the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 67 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,666.7% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 530 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $539,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,682,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded down $2.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $915.51. 128,957 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 243,521. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $925.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $927.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $674.41 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.61 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.64%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. UBS Group increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $959.44.

About W.W. Grainger

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.