Trustmark National Bank Trust Department Buys 116 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Trustmark National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 23.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the quarter. Trustmark National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the second quarter valued at about $42,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 537.5% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 111,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,190.86 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,094.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $995.07. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $772.13 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $57.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.43 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Loop Capital upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group began 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 on the stock. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

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.