First Trust Advisors LP Has $32.80 Million Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 134.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,119 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 17,854 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.06% of W.W. Grainger worth $32,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $848,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 313.3% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,521 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $1,741,000. Bancreek Capital Management LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $3,687,000. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,609 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $10,128,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW stock traded up $11.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,023.75. 459,036 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 252,176. The stock has a market cap of $49.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $986.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,068.84.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. 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 0.88%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,116.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other W.W. Grainger news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Company 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.