E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Acquires 404 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,132 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 404 shares during the quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB owned approximately 0.07% of W.W. Grainger worth $31,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total transaction of $793,616.46. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,773.08. This trade represents a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,320. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of 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. upped 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. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut 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 report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,123.13.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded up $9.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,094.92. The company had a trading volume of 167,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,517. The firm has a market cap of $52.60 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $876.28 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,032.11 and a 200 day moving average of $1,057.20.

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 the consensus estimate of $9.51 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.62 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued 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 dividend yield of 0.83%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.21%.

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.