Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,203 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 5,443 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of W.W. Grainger worth $81,371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,618,812,000 after acquiring an additional 40,376 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,074,702,000 after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,208,610,000 after purchasing an additional 28,626 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $568,188,000 after purchasing an additional 42,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during the 4th 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. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of GWW stock traded up $5.38 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $993.21. 226,578 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 247,611. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The stock's 50 day moving average is $1,022.30 and its 200-day moving average is $1,077.69. 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 $47.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (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 business earned $8.33 EPS. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.