BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Purchases 14,151 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 63.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 36,377 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,151 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S owned about 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $38,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GWW. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. 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 on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $23.99 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $1,016.31. 85,812 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,862. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $986.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,069.58. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year 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.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.