MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Sells 2,868 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. reduced its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,868 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $7,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Norges Bank bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $175,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $5.94 on Friday, hitting $1,072.20. The company had a trading volume of 127,614 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,595. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,012.31 and a 200-day moving average of $1,064.69.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The company 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 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GWW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research cut W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,120.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 now owns 578 shares in the company, valued at $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.