Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $61.56 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,399 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 562 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $61,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 13.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,560 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter valued at $224,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 65.2% during the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 7.0% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,167 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,280.00 price target on the stock. Northcoast Research began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $15.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,009.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 142,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 292,315. 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 company has a market cap of $49.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,075.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,072.00.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 period last year, the company posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.