W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,376 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.95% of W.W. Grainger worth $5,618,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $175,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted 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 buying an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,653.7% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,978 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,058,000 after acquiring an additional 53,729 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.4 %

GWW stock traded down $13.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $973.54. 214,785 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,178. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.15, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,027.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,076.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective 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 issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

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.