Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 10,266 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 51.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,222 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 10,266 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $31,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $281,104,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 92,754.3% in 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 period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 563.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 72,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $65,232,000 after buying an additional 61,400 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 143,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $129,175,000 after buying an additional 57,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,815,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 675 shares in the company, valued at $814,070.25. The trade was a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 98,567 shares in the company, valued at $102,281,004.56. This represents a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,109.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.1 %

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,206.50. The stock had a trading volume of 126,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,157. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $775.00 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $1,113.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,004.11.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

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.