Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Sells 207 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 48.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 219 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 207 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter valued at $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Finally, Concord Asset Management LLC VA grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the third quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,374,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,120.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,129.48 and a 200 day moving average of $1,055.51. The company has a market cap of $54.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $865.50 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.97 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Loop Capital increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price target 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,140.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

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.