Erste Asset Management GmbH Takes $16.99 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 16,364 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $16,988,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 5,965 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,197,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the third 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 acquiring an additional 42,866 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 30,222 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,395,000 after acquiring an additional 10,266 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 631 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 467 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $11.35 during trading on Monday, hitting $1,193.99. 201,300 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,015. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $794.00 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $58.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,117.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,006.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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, Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger 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.