Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd Has $10.62 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lessened its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,277 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,075 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up about 1.9% of Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $10,615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,679,911,000 after acquiring an additional 40,992 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,208,610,000 after acquiring an additional 28,626 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,841,000 after purchasing an additional 17,699 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on GWW shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.6 %

GWW stock traded down $6.49 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $1,149.01. The company had a trading volume of 208,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,873. The company has a market capitalization of $55.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.13, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $800.97 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,139.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,018.77.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

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.