Northern Trust Corp Buys 84,595 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Northern Trust Corp increased its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 681,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 84,595 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.40% of W.W. Grainger worth $718,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $175,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $80,818,000 after buying an additional 67,018 shares in the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 1.2 %

GWW traded up $13.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,066.45. 310,700 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 253,489. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $988.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,068.36. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.42 billion, a PE ratio of 27.55, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's payout ratio is currently 23.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of 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 raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered W.W. Grainger from a "peer perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $966.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,120.00.

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.