Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $55.79 Million Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 56,479 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,920 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of W.W. Grainger worth $55,792,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,618,812,000 after buying an additional 40,376 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,256,400,000 after acquiring an additional 27,716 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 100,843.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 692,469 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $684,042,000 after purchasing an additional 691,783 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 584,854 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $616,465,000 after purchasing an additional 37,894 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other 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 owned 3,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,622,348.80. This represents a 7.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $1.92 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,038.54. 43,389 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 249,272. The company has a market capitalization of $49.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $888.75 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,061.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,038.14.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 51.28% and a net margin of 11.08%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.62 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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