W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Position Reduced by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 51.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 39,322 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned approximately 0.08% of W.W. Grainger worth $36,897,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after purchasing an additional 691,783 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $535,910,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $4.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,026.80. 748,541 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,627. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $49.33 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,061.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,036.44.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.62 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

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.