W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 38.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,256,400,000 after buying an additional 27,716 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $535,910,000. Amundi boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 293,499 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $309,363,000 after acquiring an additional 8,833 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were 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 directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 3.2 %

NYSE GWW opened at $942.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1,013.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,076.44.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its earnings results 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 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, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,130.89.

W.W. Grainger 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.