Montag A & Associates Inc. Sells 11 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Montag A & Associates Inc. cut its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $422,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,560 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 173.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 706 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 617 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 426 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $1,027.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $50.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $1,083.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,072.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

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.