Miller Financial Services LLC Makes New Investment in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Miller Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 551 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $581,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. State Street Corp increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after acquiring an additional 45,369 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,679,911,000 after acquiring an additional 40,992 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,208,610,000 after acquiring an additional 28,626 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $568,188,000 after acquiring an additional 42,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $491,170,000 after acquiring an additional 58,978 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on 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. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on 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. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded down $13.62 during trading on Thursday, hitting $954.67. The stock had a trading volume of 331,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,859. The stock has a market cap of $46.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company's 50 day moving average price is $1,050.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,076.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.