iA Global Asset Management Inc. Has $1.92 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 38.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,844 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,165 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,916,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 280.4% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,932 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 473 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.2% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,333 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,518,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 87.1% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,316,000 after purchasing an additional 17,195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $23.37 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $1,161.79. 309,111 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,643. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $800.97 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,132.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,014.99.

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 (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 company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect 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 dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company 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.