W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Lifted by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 29.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at about $175,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after buying an additional 115,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $718,769,000 after acquiring an additional 84,595 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold a total of 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wolfe Research downgraded 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW traded up $0.91 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1,081.97. The stock had a trading volume of 58,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,285. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,018.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,062.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1-year low of $874.98 and a 1-year 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $2.26 dividend. 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%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is presently 23.21%.

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.