Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Has $43.11 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 680.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,655 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $43,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.1 %

GWW traded up $20.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $1,013.10. The stock had a trading volume of 56,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,009. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $986.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,069.58. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered 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 research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,130.89.

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.