Headlands Technologies LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Headlands Technologies LLC lessened its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 85.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 330 shares during the quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $59,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,256,400,000 after buying an additional 27,716 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $535,910,000. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $491,170,000 after buying an additional 58,978 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 293,499 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $309,363,000 after acquiring an additional 8,833 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 3.4 %

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $32.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $992.88. The company had a trading volume of 395,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,392. The stock has a market cap of $47.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $993.18 and a 200 day moving average of $1,072.13.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About W.W. Grainger

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.