Donald G. Macpherson Sells 12,992 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of GWW opened at $1,037.97 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $674.41 and a twelve month high of $1,049.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $983.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $959.49.

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 the consensus estimate of $9.58 by $0.18. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 53.25% and a net margin of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.75 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, September 6th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $990.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,014.11.

Institutional Trading of W.W. Grainger

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.