Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Has $68.23 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lowered its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 42.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 65,680 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 48,322 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned 0.13% of W.W. Grainger worth $68,229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.9% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 5,965 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,197,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $568,188,000 after purchasing an additional 42,866 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 30,222 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,395,000 after purchasing an additional 10,266 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 631 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This trade represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,205.34. 126,632 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 219,870. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,117.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,006.28. The firm has a market cap of $58.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $775.00 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on GWW. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Loop Capital increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average 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.