Two Sigma Investments LP Lowers Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Two Sigma Investments LP lessened its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 25.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,321 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 806 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after purchasing an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,256,400,000 after buying an additional 27,716 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $718,769,000 after buying an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after acquiring an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $535,910,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $11.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,076.80. 189,834 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,901. The stock has a market cap of $51.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.82, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's fifty day moving average is $1,028.17 and its 200-day moving average is $1,058.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for 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 revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 now directly owns 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair raised shares of 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 shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

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.