Norinchukin Bank The increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the quarter. Norinchukin Bank The's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $175,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after buying an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after buying an additional 67,018 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,130.89.
Read Our Latest Research Report on W.W. Grainger
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.4 %
NYSE:GWW traded down $4.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,015.06. 144,632 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 253,863. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $986.43 and its 200-day moving average is $1,069.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66.
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 in the previous year, the business posted $8.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.
W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.18%.
About W.W. Grainger
(
Free Report)
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.
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