Dorsey Wright & Associates Purchases 369 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Dorsey Wright & Associates raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 9.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,459 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for 1.1% of Dorsey Wright & Associates' portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Dorsey Wright & Associates' holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,256,400,000 after purchasing an additional 27,716 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after buying an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after buying an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 584,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $616,465,000 after acquiring an additional 37,894 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted 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 valued at $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,116.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded up $6.93 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $1,051.69. The company had a trading volume of 235,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,140. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $893.99 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,058.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,036.23. The company has a market cap of $50.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $2.26 dividend. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.