Geode Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,626 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.40% of W.W. Grainger worth $1,208,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 87.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,316,000 after acquiring an additional 17,195 shares in the last quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 2,285 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the period. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 15.3% during the third quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 5,444 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,655,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $1.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,156.45. 262,345 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,981. The company has a market cap of $56.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $800.97 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,139.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,018.77.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm 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 business posted $9.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital lifted their target price on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

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.