Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Trims Stock Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co reduced its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 34 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter valued at $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter valued at $175,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 514,326 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $542,126,000 after purchasing an additional 115,290 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 681,912 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $718,769,000 after buying an additional 84,595 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total value of $1,160,647.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,205,523.20. This represents a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,116.00.

W.W. Grainger Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:GWW opened at $1,049.60 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.11, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $987.20 and a 200-day moving average of $1,068.50.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.62 earnings per share. W.W. Grainger’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $2.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.