Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Sells 418 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 418 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger comprises 0.9% of Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,862 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 502 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,560 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.6% in the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,046.62 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $50.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,095.78 and a 200-day moving average of $1,070.37. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th 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 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

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.