Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 31.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,865 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,162 shares during the quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total transaction of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded down $11.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,205.87. The company had a trading volume of 162,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,624. 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 market cap of $58.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,106.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,001.27. 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 (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital raised their target price on 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. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

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.