W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 23.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,263 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.15% of W.W. Grainger worth $69,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at about $839,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $692,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 33.4% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,722 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,701,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.7%

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $18.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,063.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 157,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,989. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $888.75 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $51.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,044.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,051.84.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research cut 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, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

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.