Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 45.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,200 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $491,170,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,058,000 after buying an additional 53,729 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.
W.W. Grainger Price Performance
Shares of GWW stock traded down $1.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $987.04. 140,801 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 235,959. The firm has a market cap of $47.59 billion, a PE ratio of 25.50, 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 current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $1,032.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,077.05. 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 announced 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 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 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.
View Our Latest Research Report on GWW
W.W. Grainger Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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