W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Position Raised by Forsta AP Fonden

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 1.8%, resulting in a total value of $16.79 million for its 17,000 shares.
• The company's latest quarterly earnings showed $9.97 EPS, missing estimates, although revenue grew by 5.6% to $4.55 billion.
• W.W. Grainger announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share with a dividend yield of 1.0%, payable to shareholders recorded by August 11th.

Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $16,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GWW. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 86.8% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 33,894 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,481,000 after purchasing an additional 15,750 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 65,159 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $64,366,000 after buying an additional 19,746 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 86,903 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $85,865,000 after buying an additional 9,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 306,829 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $303,095,000 after purchasing an additional 13,330 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the 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 value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents 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 through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley decreased 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, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned 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, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE GWW traded up $20.57 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $981.27. The company had a trading volume of 108,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 287,033. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $893.99 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,032.45 and a 200 day moving average of $1,025.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. The business's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.76 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.94%.

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.