Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Sells 97 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lowered its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,914 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,021.00 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,078.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,072.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company has a market capitalization of $49.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on GWW. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

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.