Qsemble Capital Management LP Invests $978,000 in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,180 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $978,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $966,451,000 after acquiring an additional 204,507 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.3% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 625,013 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $432,411,000 after purchasing an additional 47,731 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 82,775.0% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 43,095 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,712,000 after buying an additional 43,043 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 102.1% in the 3rd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 45,625 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,565,000 after buying an additional 23,055 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 141,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $97,809,000 after buying an additional 22,523 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $938.89.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWW traded up $4.51 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $958.68. The company had a trading volume of 176,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 258,651. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $975.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $890.88. The stock has a market cap of $47.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.18. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $641.95 and a 1 year high of $1,034.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.57 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.26 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.94% and a return on equity of 54.31%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.61 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.54%.

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.

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