W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Holdings Boosted by Norinchukin Bank The

Norinchukin Bank The raised its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in GWW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $535,910,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $267,529,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $175,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 28.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 694.1% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 76,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,818,000 after purchasing an additional 67,018 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,002.12 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $988.83 and a 200-day moving average of $1,070.98.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced 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 period last year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on GWW shares. Wolfe Research downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $966.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price 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 note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,130.89.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 1,164 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $997.12, for a total transaction of $1,160,647.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,235 shares in the company, valued at $10,205,523.20. The trade was a 10.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.