Putney Financial Group LLC Has $363,000 Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW

Putney Financial Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $363,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $274,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at $287,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 128.8% during the 2nd quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 15,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.1% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 206,593 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $204,057,000 after purchasing an additional 30,208 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. This represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $955.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $980.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,016.03. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.69 billion, a PE ratio of 24.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.76 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $963.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,053.71.

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.