W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,405 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,686 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $57,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 3,510 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,700,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the period. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $200,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 77,203 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $81,371,000 after purchasing an additional 5,443 shares during the period. Finally, Korea Investment CORP grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 35,542 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,463,000 after purchasing an additional 13,739 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $5.68 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $993.51. The stock had a trading volume of 140,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 246,887. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,024.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,077.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 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 company has a market capitalization of $47.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.66, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.