Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $30.25 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 54.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 35,000 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $30,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 27,716 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $535,910,000. Finally, Amundi raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $491,170,000 after acquiring an additional 58,978 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,000.13. 161,559 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,045. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $992.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,072.08. 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 capitalization of $48.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 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 company earned $8.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

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 $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com cut W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,130.89.

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.