Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $3.75 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,556 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 543 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,125.99 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,121.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,063.88. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $54.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,140.56.

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.