W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 64.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,645 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 8,360 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.3% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.9% in the second quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 5,750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,534,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.24% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded up $3.89 on Thursday, reaching $798.69. The stock had a trading volume of 48,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,859. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $717.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $718.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.85, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $534.01 and a 12-month high of $811.60. The company has a market cap of $39.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.13.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The industrial products company reported $9.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.85 by $0.58. The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.22 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 58.02% and a net margin of 11.16%. W.W. Grainger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.27 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 36.38 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 13th will be paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 10th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $647.00 to $653.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $795.00 to $790.00 in a report on Friday, July 28th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 28th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $775.00 price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Friday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $749.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 3,439 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $735.85, for a total value of $2,530,588.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,462 shares in the company, valued at $1,811,662.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services in the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety and security supplies, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and metalworking and hand tools.