B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,178 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $11,612,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 576.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,655,000 after purchasing an additional 4,737 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 280.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 13,795 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $14,034,000 after purchasing an additional 5,804 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.0 %

GWW stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,172.40. 138,529 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,036. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $57.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $1,082.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $990.71. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $772.13 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) 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). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. 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 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

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.