Allstate Corp Invests $1.39 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,317 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,388,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after buying an additional 45,369 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,208,610,000 after buying an additional 28,626 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $491,170,000 after buying an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $5.38 on Tuesday, reaching $993.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 226,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,611. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company has a market capitalization of $47.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,022.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,077.69.

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W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.