Jag Capital Management LLC Sells 3,298 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Jag Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 23.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,298 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 1.6% of Jag Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Jag Capital Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $11,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 293,499 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $309,363,000 after purchasing an additional 8,833 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,360 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,596,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. DJE Kapital AG bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,934,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 83.0% in the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 1,909 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,019,000 after buying an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded down $3.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $985.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 361,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 232,809. The firm's 50-day moving average is $1,059.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,076.06. The company has a market cap of $47.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (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 posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

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.