Pitcairn Co. Has $3.02 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Pitcairn Co. reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,866 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 511 shares during the quarter. Pitcairn Co.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $491,170,000 after buying an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of 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. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,130.89.

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W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.7 %

GWW stock traded down $15.73 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $926.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 282,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,592. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,013.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,076.89. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $44.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.81, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 period last year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 6.10% 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.