Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,041 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 236.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 11,360 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $11,801,000 after acquiring an additional 7,988 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,603,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 9.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,617 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,874,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 11.4% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 793 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,171.14. 55,189 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 234,231. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $772.13 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,086.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $992.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $57.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.43 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. This represents a 68.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

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.