State Street Corp Has $2.07 Billion Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

State Street Corp grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares during the period. State Street Corp owned approximately 4.10% of W.W. Grainger worth $2,074,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,679,911,000 after acquiring an additional 40,992 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $568,188,000 after purchasing an additional 42,866 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 360,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,841,000 after purchasing an additional 17,699 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 324,367 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $336,956,000 after buying an additional 12,805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,666 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $295,714,000 after buying an additional 8,552 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of GWW traded down $5.93 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,182.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 44,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 232,661. The firm has a market cap of $57.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $800.97 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. 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 50 day moving average of $1,129.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,012.61.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,509 shares in the company, valued at $10,513,055.31. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733 over the last quarter. Insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

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.