abrdn plc Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

abrdn plc lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 163,980 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,596 shares during the quarter. abrdn plc owned about 0.34% of W.W. Grainger worth $173,397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,815,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $60,058,000 after purchasing an additional 53,729 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $568,188,000 after purchasing an additional 42,866 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of 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. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price for the company. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of GWW stock traded up $1.61 during trading on Thursday, hitting $1,044.53. 222,983 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 310,487. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,108.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,067.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced 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 period last year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 41.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.