Bailard Inc. Reduces Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Bailard Inc. trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 43.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 490 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,564,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,490,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Wedgewood Investors Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $564,000. Brown Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth about $260,000. Finally, Optas LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:GWW traded down $8.64 on Monday, reaching $973.59. 183,420 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 243,863. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $941.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $952.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $47.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.88, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.28 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of 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 lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 1,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.