FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 40,992 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned about 3.32% of W.W. Grainger worth $1,679,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Optas LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 4.4% during the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.7% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.7% in the second quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger
In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
W.W. Grainger Price Performance
Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $11.43 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,205.87. 162,546 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 234,624. The company has a market cap of $58.73 billion, a PE ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,106.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,001.27. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. 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 (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid 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 yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GWW
W.W. Grainger Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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