W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Holdings Trimmed by National Pension Service

National Pension Service trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,909 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,458 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $57,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 3.0% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,242,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 48.7% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 229 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 136.3% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 267 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 6,507 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,620,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.6% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,355,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at $111,650,478.38. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,037.68, for a total transaction 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total transaction of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 41,198 shares of company stock worth $41,784,426. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded up $73.08 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,195.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 399,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 224,327. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,041.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $974.44. The company has a market capitalization of $58.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $764.13 and a 52-week high of $1,199.00.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.43 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on GWW. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Robert W. Baird raised W.W. Grainger from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Baird R W upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of W.W. Grainger to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,058.50.

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.