Sigma Planning Corp Has $208,000 Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 60.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 382 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock opened at $934.57 on Tuesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $979.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $877.66. The company has a market cap of $45.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.61 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

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.