LPL Financial LLC Grows Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,642 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,429 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.13% of W.W. Grainger worth $68,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,058,000 after acquiring an additional 53,729 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on 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. 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 downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

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W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of GWW stock traded up $13.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $988.35. 252,145 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,198. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,024.86 and a 200 day moving average of $1,077.69. The firm has a market cap of $47.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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 (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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 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 presently 21.18%.

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.