Invesco Ltd. Purchases 115,290 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 28.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned about 1.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $542,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after buying an additional 67,018 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $491,170,000 after acquiring an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1 %

GWW traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $995.07. The stock had a trading volume of 37,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,569. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $993.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.