Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 63.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 54 shares during the quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $26,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Retirement Group LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

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

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of GWW opened at $949.92 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $980.02 and a 200 day moving average of $863.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 16th. Finally, Stephens raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger 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.