Stifel Financial Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 419,482 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,504 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $442,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $1,741,000. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,687,000. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,128,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,002.12 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $988.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,070.98. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $48.32 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,130.89.

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.