Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $35.42 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 34.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,860 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,225 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned approximately 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $35,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger 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 transaction, the vice president owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president owned 578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This represents a 56.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

Shares of GWW traded up $15.21 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $1,050.49. 158,261 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 249,375. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $888.75 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a market cap of $50.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. The firm's fifty day moving average is $1,060.20 and its 200 day moving average is $1,039.71.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. 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 boosted their target price 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. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

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.