W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Shares Sold by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 20.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 766 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MWA Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. MWA Asset Management now owns 1,871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 60,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,120 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,670,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,855,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 25.5% during the third quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 64 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GWW. Oppenheimer raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,045.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $963.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,045.75.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,079.42 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,103.69. The firm has a market cap of $51.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.27, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,016.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $992.22.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.87 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 25.35%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 14,523 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.81, for a total value of $14,128,119.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 107,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,929,232.22. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,953.82. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155 in the last three months. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Profile

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.