W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Acquired by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,416 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,867 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $13,088,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,618,812,000 after acquiring an additional 40,376 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,194,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,256,400,000 after purchasing an additional 27,716 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 84,595 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth $535,910,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 0.3%

GWW stock opened at $1,069.39 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a fifty day moving average of $996.89 and a 200-day moving average of $1,065.57.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.62 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from W.W. Grainger’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.05. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 23.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several analyst reports. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,097.00 to $1,144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,120.00.

Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger

In other news, VP Laurie R. Thomson sold 761 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,042.86, for a total value of $793,616.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $602,773.08. The trade was a 56.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,205,523.20. This trade represents a 10.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

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.