KBC Group NV Boosts Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 21.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,290 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 938 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $5,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW stock traded up $15.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,050.49. 158,261 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 249,375. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $888.75 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,060.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,039.22.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. W.W. Grainger's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GWW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of 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. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report 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, William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company'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 value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.