Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Has $84.08 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 14,090 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned 0.16% of W.W. Grainger worth $84,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Guardian Capital LP raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 11,969 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,616,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Gallo Partners LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,789,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,935,000. Lido Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 54.4% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 2,450 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of 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. William Blair raised shares of 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 lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,120.00.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW traded down $2.31 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $1,065.69. 242,717 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 254,031. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $988.46 and a 200-day moving average of $1,067.69. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $51.38 billion, a PE ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. 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 Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

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.