Vinva Investment Management Ltd Sells 723 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,410 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 723 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 36.6% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,664,000 after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 576.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 5,559 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,655,000 after buying an additional 4,737 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 280.4% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,365,000 after buying an additional 1,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,312,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.1 %

GWW stock traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,206.50. 126,632 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 234,157. The stock has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $775.00 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $1,113.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,004.11.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Oppenheimer cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.