Swiss National Bank Sells 6,900 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 124,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.25% of W.W. Grainger worth $130,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $491,170,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth about $55,815,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $3.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $974.12. 205,821 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 235,359. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $46.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,045.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,076.86.

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

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

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.