Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Acquires Shares of 422 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 422 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,901,000 after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of 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. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded down $0.15 on Friday, hitting $1,027.68. 299,201 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 296,383. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $50.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,086.13 and a 200-day moving average of $1,070.21. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.