Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Purchases 564 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 8.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 564 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 5.9% during the first quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 25,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $24,895,000 after buying an additional 1,404 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.4% during the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,071,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,487,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Board of the Pension Protection Fund raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 150.0% during the 1st quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund now owns 1,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.8% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,350 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWW traded down $15.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,036.78. The company had a trading volume of 210,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,257. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $888.75 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,058.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,040.35. The company has a market cap of $49.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was 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 owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

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.