Meeder Asset Management Inc. Has $26,000 Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 97.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 827 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $26,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of GWW traded down $18.90 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $923.53. 443,536 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,162. The company has a market cap of $44.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. 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 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,009.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,076.14.

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W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. Research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,130.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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.