Courier Capital LLC Has $2.17 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Courier Capital LLC trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 66 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 275.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 45 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $959.44.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $4.99 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $903.80. 163,576 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 241,688. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $674.41 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $929.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $924.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. 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 previous year, the company earned $9.61 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.22 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 22.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.