W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Holdings Raised by Board of the Pension Protection Fund

Board of the Pension Protection Fund lifted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 150.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger accounts for about 1.1% of Board of the Pension Protection Fund's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Board of the Pension Protection Fund's holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bancreek Capital Management LP purchased a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,687,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 116.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,917 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,506,000 after buying an additional 18,216 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at $175,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,701,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,476 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,556,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. 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 stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total transaction of $301,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This trade represents a 7.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of GWW traded up $13.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,028.72. 375,378 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 249,401. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,055.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,043.43. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $888.75 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $49.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.21.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 51.28%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.62 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $2.26 dividend. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is 23.21%.

W.W. Grainger 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.