W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by National Pension Service

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 12.6% in Q1, now owning about $59.51 million in shares.
• W.W. Grainger reported an EPS of $9.97, missing analyst estimates of $10.07, with quarterly revenue of $4.55 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, paying out an annualized $9.04 with a yield of 0.9%.

National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,721 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.13% of W.W. Grainger worth $59,507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GWW. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 47 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Columbia River Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 1st quarter worth $65,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,080.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business'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 transaction of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of W.W. Grainger stock traded down $3.96 on Friday, hitting $970.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 237,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 350,748. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,025.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,022.73. The company has a market capitalization of $46.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.07 by ($0.10). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.76 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 22.94%.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.