Meeder Asset Management Inc. Sells 827 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 97.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 827 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $26,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Stock Up 1.3 %

GWW opened at $1,006.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $48.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.20. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,019.98 and its 200 day moving average is $1,077.19. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $874.98 and a fifty-two week high of $1,227.66.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the business posted $8.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

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.