Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Has $24.68 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd has reduced its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. by 21.7%, now holding approximately 25,312 shares valued at $24.68 million.
• W.W. Grainger recently reported an EPS of $9.86 for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and reflecting a 1.7% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $2.26 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.86% and a payout ratio of 23.21%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd trimmed its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 21.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,312 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,026 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned about 0.05% of W.W. Grainger worth $24,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 320 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $175,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at about $410,000. Korea Investment CORP raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 63.0% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 35,542 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,463,000 after buying an additional 13,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 77,203 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $81,371,000 after buying an additional 5,443 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.25.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW stock traded down $2.71 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,052.36. 108,854 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 277,992. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $893.99 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The company has a market capitalization of $50.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,055.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,035.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.62 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.W. Grainger news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 280 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,075.20, for a total value of $301,056.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,369 shares in the company, valued at $3,622,348.80. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.