W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in W.W. Grainger shares by 90.7%, owning 27,477 shares valued at $27,143,000 after purchasing an additional 13,072 shares.
• W.W. Grainger reported a quarterly earnings miss with an EPS of $9.97, slightly below the consensus estimate of $10.07, although its revenue rose by 5.6% compared to last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.26 with a yield of 1.0%, set to be paid on September 1st, with a payout ratio of 22.94%.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 90.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,477 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,072 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $27,143,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 545 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crew Capital Management Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,176.00 to $1,007.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,080.38.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $20.40 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $960.16. 200,888 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 389,215. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.92 billion, a PE ratio of 24.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $893.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,032.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,025.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.76 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $9.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.94%.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

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.