IFM Investors Pty Ltd Grows Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,152 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 832 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $684,042,000 after acquiring an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $175,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW traded up $15.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,050.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 158,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,697. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,060.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,038.56. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $888.75 and a 1-year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.62 EPS. Analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWW. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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, Wolfe Research cut 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.