Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,969 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $28,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,679,911,000 after buying an additional 40,992 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $568,188,000 after acquiring an additional 42,866 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,841,000 after acquiring an additional 17,699 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 324,367 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $336,956,000 after purchasing an additional 12,805 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,666 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $295,714,000 after purchasing an additional 8,552 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of GWW traded down $3.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,185.16. The company had a trading volume of 194,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 206,958. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,132.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,014.23. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $800.97 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 over the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. 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. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group assumed 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

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.