Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 1,496 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Voya Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW - Free Report) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,342 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,496 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of W.W. Grainger worth $26,712,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth $175,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 694.1% during 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 and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE GWW traded up $14.57 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,068.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 153,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,679. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $874.98 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. 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 market cap of $51.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $987.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,068.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.51 by $0.35. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger's revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $2.26 dividend. 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 a positive change from W.W. Grainger's previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. Finally, Wolfe Research cut 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1,116.00.

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.