California State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

California State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,323 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,664 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.15% of W.W. Grainger worth $74,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Transactions 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $13.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,066.45. 310,700 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,489. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.42 billion, a PE ratio of 27.55, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The company's 50 day moving average price is $987.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,068.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for 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 company's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

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.