Ardevora Asset Management LLP Purchases Shares of 13,364 W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Ardevora Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 13,364 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $11,075,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 33.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,661 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,947,000 after buying an additional 6,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 212.9% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 25,798 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,306,000 after buying an additional 17,553 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $5.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $942.65. The company had a trading volume of 261,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,948. The stock has a market cap of $46.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.03, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.14. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $641.95 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $979.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $868.07.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 56.54% and a net margin of 11.10%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 is presently 20.55%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total value of $2,966,586.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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. Corporate insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens raised their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on 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. StockNews.com raised W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.