W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Castellan Group

Castellan Group cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,122 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 542 shares during the quarter. Castellan Group's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after acquiring an additional 45,369 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,679,911,000 after acquiring an additional 40,992 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,208,610,000 after acquiring an additional 28,626 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 324,367 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $336,956,000 after purchasing an additional 12,805 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Monday, hitting $1,027.68. 299,201 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 318,592. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $50.05 billion, a PE ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $1,086.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,071.59. 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 posted its earnings results 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 previous year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.