Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 1,686 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,405 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,686 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of W.W. Grainger worth $57,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GWW. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,330,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,618,812,000 after buying an additional 40,376 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,074,702,000 after acquiring an additional 45,369 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,167,031 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,208,610,000 after acquiring an additional 28,626 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 546,960 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $568,188,000 after purchasing an additional 42,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth about $535,910,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE GWW opened at $973.54 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $874.98 and a one year high of $1,227.66. 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 market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,027.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,076.43.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GWW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on 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. William Blair upgraded W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

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.