W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stake Lessened by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 16.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,309 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 17,073 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.18% of W.W. Grainger worth $90,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 250.0% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 28 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 111.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 38.9% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 50 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth about $75,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on GWW. Loop Capital boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,018.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer lowered W.W. Grainger from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Monday, October 7th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $925.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,140.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,206.03, for a total transaction of $150,753.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,070.25. This represents a 15.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 9,577 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,117.84, for a total value of $10,705,553.68. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,895,021.36. This trade represents a 68.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,406 shares of company stock worth $11,634,643 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded up $11.98 on Thursday, reaching $1,125.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 293,108 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,242. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $54.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,122.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,063.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.78% and a net margin of 10.80%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.23%.

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.