BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Lowers Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 13.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,369 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,107 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $906,700,000 after buying an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $129,175,000 after buying an additional 57,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $55,815,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $11.35 during trading on Monday, reaching $1,193.99. 201,300 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 234,015. The firm has a market cap of $58.15 billion, a PE ratio of 32.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $794.00 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,117.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,006.62.

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 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 analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Oppenheimer cut W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.