Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Grows Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,148 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 472 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on 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. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $18.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,027.47. 345,087 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 299,035. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,095.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,070.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same period last year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.