Metis Global Partners LLC Has $1.74 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Metis Global Partners LLC cut its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 286 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,743,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $938.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $945.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $641.95 and a twelve month high of $1,034.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $977.04 and a 200-day moving average of $886.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 54.31% and a net margin of 10.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.61 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.27 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.54%.

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.