iA Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,165 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 38.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,844 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,165 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.2% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,518,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.7% in the second quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,046 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,846,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 280.4% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,365,000 after buying an additional 1,932 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,185.16 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $57.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $800.97 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,132.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,014.99.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,109.00.

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.