Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 2,225 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,329 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,225 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $10,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 170.0% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 275.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,017.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded down $14.89 on Monday, hitting $951.48. The company had a trading volume of 190,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 245,835. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 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 $1,034.18. The stock has a market cap of $46.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $935.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $951.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger 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.