Investment Management Corp of Ontario Grows Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,940 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW remained flat at $1,193.16 during midday trading on Wednesday. The stock had a trading volume of 70,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,164. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $58.11 billion, a PE ratio of 32.34, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $794.00 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,123.57 and a 200 day moving average of $1,010.10.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.98 by ($0.11). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The company 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 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 22.23%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total value of $13,481,538.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This trade represents a 11.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,895,021.36. The trade was a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock worth $52,640,733. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

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.