Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Sells 1,614 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 82.5% during the first quarter, holding only 342 shares valued at $338,000.
• Major investors have recently altered their positions, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its holdings by 100,843% to own nearly 692,469 shares, significantly impacting the investment landscape.
• W.W. Grainger reported earnings per share of $9.97 for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.10, while its revenue increased by 5.6% year-over-year, reaching $4.55 billion.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 82.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 342 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,614 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,322,801,000 after acquiring an additional 57,690 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $684,042,000 after buying an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after purchasing an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 584,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $616,465,000 after buying an additional 37,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 409,289 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $431,428,000 after buying an additional 20,176 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $20.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $960.16. The stock had a trading volume of 200,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 389,215. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $1,032.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,025.85. The firm has a market cap of $45.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.18.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,080.38.

About W.W. Grainger

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.