Marshall Wace LLP Purchases New Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,771 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,083,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW traded down $2.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,009.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 25,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 251,643. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $986.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,069.54.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 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 period last year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of 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. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. 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 on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

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.