ProShare Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

ProShare Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 179,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15,594 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.37% of W.W. Grainger worth $189,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of GWW stock opened at $1,069.39 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50 day moving average is $996.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,065.57. The company has a market cap of $51.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.