Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Takes Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 694 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $732,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $20.61 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $982.08. The company had a trading volume of 67,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,959. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $47.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $988.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,070.98.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on 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. Two 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.