Hexagon Capital Partners LLC trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW – Get Rating) by 24.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 126 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 41 shares during the quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 260.0% during the 3rd quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 90 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 71.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms have recently issued reports on GWW. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $650.00 to $730.00 in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $490.00 to $537.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Loop Capital upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded W.W. Grainger from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $502.00 to $679.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $688.88.
W.W. Grainger Price Performance
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $7.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 60.13% and a net margin of 10.14%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.44 earnings per share. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 33.29 EPS for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 13th were given a $1.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 10th. This represents a $6.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.88%.
Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger
In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 49,121 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $694.36, for a total value of $34,107,657.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 80,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,715,446.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 4,623 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $664.66, for a total value of $3,072,723.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 7,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,739.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 49,121 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $694.36, for a total value of $34,107,657.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 80,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,715,446.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 55,434 shares of company stock worth $38,315,317. 10.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
W.W. Grainger Company Profile
W.W. Grainger, Inc is a supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products, with operations in North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom. It operates through the following segments: High-Touch Solutions N.A., Endless Assortment, and Other. The High-Touch Solutions N.A. segment is involved in value-added MRO solutions that are rooted in deep product knowledge and customer expertise.
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