Handelsbanken Fonder AB Boosts Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 16.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,768 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $20,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 313.3% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,741,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 72.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 22,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,901,000 after purchasing an additional 9,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,148.56.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,008.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,072.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,072.39. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.04, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm posted $8.33 EPS. 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 will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

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.