Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $4.37 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $4,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $1,329,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 12,416 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Paradoxiom Capital L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $5,984,000. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $689,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 81.8% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,451 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was 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 directly owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of GWW opened at $1,102.43 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.48, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1,000.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,064.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $2.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on 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. cut their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.