Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Sells 500 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,177 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $17,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth approximately $281,104,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 17.4% in 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 acquiring an additional 169,897 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the first quarter worth $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 61,400 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $990.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,058.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $26.70 on Tuesday, hitting $1,122.38. 171,527 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,301. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,038.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $973.17. The company has a market cap of $54.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $758.11 and a 1-year high of $1,130.01.

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). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.85 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 41,198 shares of company stock worth $41,784,426 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.