Quadrature Capital Ltd Has $8.87 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 108.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,541 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 4,434 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $906,700,000 after purchasing an additional 87,189 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $129,175,000 after purchasing an additional 57,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth approximately $55,815,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. UBS Group started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $1.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $1,190.84. 101,579 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,066. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,126.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,011.38. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $800.97 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $57.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.