W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 250.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,828 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,022 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 537.5% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued 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, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $10.48 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1,217.13. The stock had a trading volume of 457,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,143. The company has a market capitalization of $59.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.99, a PEG 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 $772.13 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,102.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $999.46.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 EPS. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.