Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,226 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter worth $281,104,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $159,365,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 87,283 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $906,700,000 after purchasing an additional 87,189 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,232,000 after purchasing an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 67.9% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $129,175,000 after purchasing an additional 57,894 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. This represents a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on GWW. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Loop Capital upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price on the stock. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.4 %

GWW traded down $4.21 on Wednesday, hitting $1,167.86. 38,920 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,165. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,086.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $992.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $772.13 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $56.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.15.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors 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 0.70%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

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.