W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lifted by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 80,478 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,998 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.17% of W.W. Grainger worth $84,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several research reports. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. 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 on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have issued 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 target price of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.8 %

GWW traded down $8.00 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $990.85. 76,279 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,855. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $987.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,070.11. The firm has a market cap of $47.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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

W.W. Grainger Company 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.