W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Bank of New Hampshire

Bank of New Hampshire lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. Bank of New Hampshire’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:GWW traded up $5.81 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $1,059.82. 58,795 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 148,646. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,143.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,041.75. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $806.08 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $51.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.