abrdn plc Raises Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

abrdn plc lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 160,822 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 6,016 shares during the period. abrdn plc owned about 0.32% of W.W. Grainger worth $133,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth about $258,792,000. FMR LLC boosted 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 period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,568.4% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 165,035 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $85,122,000 after purchasing an additional 155,143 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 654,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $364,168,000 after purchasing an additional 130,519 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,027,150 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $706,047,000 after purchasing an additional 100,380 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of GWW traded up $5.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $942.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 261,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,948. The company's 50-day moving average is $979.43 and its 200-day moving average is $866.89. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $641.95 and a 52-week high of $1,034.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, 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 that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $968.88, for a total transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company's stock, 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 company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $740.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $925.00 to $1,000.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $913.89.

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.