New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 6,400 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,044 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,400 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $38,482,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter worth about $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,148,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,167,913,000 after purchasing an additional 169,897 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the first quarter valued at approximately $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $906,700,000 after purchasing an additional 87,189 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised 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 report on Wednesday, October 16th. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

GWW stock traded down $4.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,105.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 248,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,030. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.40. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $747.00 and a twelve month high of $1,130.01. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,035.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $971.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.96, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.69 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.