Trust Co. of Vermont Reduces Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Trust Co. of Vermont reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,121 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 31 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,825,000 after purchasing an additional 2,958 shares during the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $276,000. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 3,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,787,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. &PARTNERS bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter valued at $471,000. Finally, Unique Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 40.7% during the first quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 1,272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.5 %

GWW opened at $1,125.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $55.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,128.52. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $1,008.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $964.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.65 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,030.70.

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.