W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Sold by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 18.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 992 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $3,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 17.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,396,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $966,451,000 after buying an additional 204,507 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,074,055 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $846,989,000 after purchasing an additional 5,744 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,027,150 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $706,047,000 after purchasing an additional 100,380 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1.8% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 751,855 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $520,163,000 after purchasing an additional 13,063 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 654,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $364,168,000 after buying an additional 130,519 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $942.65 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $641.95 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $979.43 and its 200-day moving average is $865.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $8.33 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 20.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $775.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $800.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $809.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,075.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $913.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $3,694,339.44. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,756,231.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Paige K. Robbins sold 3,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $950.22, for a total transaction of $2,966,586.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,664,629.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.