DnB Asset Management AS Trims Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

DnB Asset Management AS reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,676 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 560 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $12,307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Busey Bank increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 615 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 438 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $462,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GWW. StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research 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 for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $5.38 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $993.21. 226,578 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 247,116. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50 day moving average price is $1,024.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,077.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. 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.