Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Invests $18.23 Million in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 17,243 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $18,227,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 72.6% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 9,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,687,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $22.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $982.71. 130,803 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 252,829. 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 current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $47.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $994.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,072.40.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

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.