Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Buys 9,525 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 9,525 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of W.W. Grainger worth $44,963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC boosted 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 period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 280.4% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,932 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 7.2% in the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,333 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,518,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 87.1% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,316,000 after purchasing an additional 17,195 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total transaction of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733 in the last quarter. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GWW. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wolfe Research raised W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of GWW stock traded down $3.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,185.16. 194,709 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 206,958. The firm has a market cap of $57.72 billion, a PE ratio of 32.13, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,132.65 and a 200 day moving average of $1,014.23. 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 1 year low of $800.97 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.94 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio 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.