Edgestream Partners L.P. Has $6.84 Million Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 74.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,920 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,618,812,000 after buying an additional 40,376 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during 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 period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 691,783 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded down $17.00 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,040.57. 310,696 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,255. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.18. 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 one year low of $893.99 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,062.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,037.04.

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

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,116.25.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $793,616.46. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.