Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,951 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 44.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,419 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,951 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $966,451,000 after purchasing an additional 204,507 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% in the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,074,055 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $846,989,000 after buying an additional 5,744 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.8% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,027,150 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $706,047,000 after buying an additional 100,380 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 751,855 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $520,163,000 after acquiring an additional 13,063 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 654,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $364,168,000 after acquiring an additional 130,519 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total value of $3,694,339.44. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

W.W. Grainger stock traded down $6.77 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $949.92. 164,402 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 230,932. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $979.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $862.80. The firm has a market cap of $46.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.05 by $0.28. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.10% and a return on equity of 56.54%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens upped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $913.89.

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.