W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Nicollet Investment Management Inc.

Nicollet Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,573 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger comprises approximately 3.4% of Nicollet Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Nicollet Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW opened at $1,178.33 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,078.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $988.02. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $772.13 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results 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 for 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 was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $925.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,086.50.

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.