ING Groep NV Sells 1,542 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

ING Groep NV lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,842 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,542 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $14,379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $281,104,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 243,470 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $219,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Baird R W raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,086.50.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last ninety days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $2.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,178.33. 228,414 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 235,665. The company has a market capitalization of $57.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.15. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $1,078.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $988.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $772.13 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.91 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

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.