Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Reduces Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 314,441 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,926 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.65% of W.W. Grainger worth $331,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,074,702,000 after buying an additional 45,369 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,256,400,000 after buying an additional 27,716 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $535,910,000. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $491,170,000 after acquiring an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $16.92 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $925.51. The company had a trading volume of 146,382 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,036. The company has a market capitalization of $44.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $1,013.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,076.89. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $874.98 and a 1 year 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 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 last year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on GWW. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger 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.