Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Sells 317 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group cut its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,102 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 317 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at approximately $295,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $75,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the third quarter worth $362,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,151.50.

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W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE:GWW traded down $13.62 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $954.67. The company had a trading volume of 331,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,889. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,050.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,076.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.