Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Has $534,000 Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 69.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 507 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,157 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $534,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:GWW traded up $2.75 on Monday, hitting $996.75. 33,845 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 293,836. The company has a market cap of $48.06 billion, a PE ratio of 25.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $993.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,072.32.

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W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,130.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.