Eads & Heald Wealth Management Sells 107 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Eads & Heald Wealth Management decreased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 107 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 1.5% of Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,975,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 9,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $1,741,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock valued at $11,634,643. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.7 %

W.W. Grainger stock opened at $1,120.86 on Wednesday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $865.50 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,129.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,055.51. The stock has a market cap of $54.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

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.