UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 37,894 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 584,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,894 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 1.20% of W.W. Grainger worth $616,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's 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 approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21% 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.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock opened at $1,091.63 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market cap of $52.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,006.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,065.05.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. 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 previous year, the company earned $9.62 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given 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.

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.

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