Aviva PLC lessened its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,935 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,136 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $55,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after acquiring an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity
In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,130.89.
Read Our Latest Research Report on GWW
W.W. Grainger Stock Up 2.5 %
Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $23.71 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $984.40. 130,803 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 252,831. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. 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 quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The business's fifty day moving average price is $994.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,072.40.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.
About W.W. Grainger
(
Free Report)
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.
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