Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 326 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,736 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 326 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,068,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 3,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,075,000. Sigma Planning Corp raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 23.4% in the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 633 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 71,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,638,000 after buying an additional 7,273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,984,000 after buying an additional 8,865 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Stephens raised W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $938.89.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $932.74 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $641.95 and a one year high of $1,034.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $978.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $879.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.64%.

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.