Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 7,740 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,664 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,740 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of W.W. Grainger worth $110,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 77.2% in the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 436 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,862 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 695 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. LVW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $265,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 7,611 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,901,000 after purchasing an additional 1,702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE GWW traded down $18.89 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,027.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 345,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 299,035. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,095.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,070.37. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 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.