Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Has $56.82 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 4,053.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,910 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 52,612 shares during the quarter. W.W. Grainger makes up 2.2% of Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH owned approximately 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $56,824,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $33,901,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,144,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $236,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter worth about $1,110,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research 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 report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research cut 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW traded up $0.95 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,086.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 360,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,431. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.20 billion, a PE ratio of 28.07, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,022.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,060.53.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.21%.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $301,056.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock worth $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.