Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 22.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,984 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,293 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up approximately 1.8% of Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $8,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,130.89.

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W.W. Grainger Stock Down 3.2 %

NYSE GWW traded down $30.98 on Friday, hitting $942.43. 451,542 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 250,393. 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 company has a market cap of $45.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,013.43 and a 200-day moving average of $1,076.44. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.