IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 10.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,152 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 832 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $9,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 481 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. United Community Bank boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 485 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Zacks Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger
In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.
W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.5%
NYSE:GWW traded down $16.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $1,034.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 245,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,680. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.69 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,061.36 and a 200-day moving average of $1,038.15. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $888.75 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66.
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The firm's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on W.W. Grainger
W.W. Grainger Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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