Sentry Investment Management LLC Cuts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 233 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Retirement Group LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2,450.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. UBS Group raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Loop Capital downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $825.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $913.89.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $955.44 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $979.92 and a 200 day moving average of $862.80. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $46.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 20.55%.

W.W. Grainger 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.