W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Stock Position Raised by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $621,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp lifted its position 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 valued at $2,074,702,000 after acquiring an additional 45,369 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,617,149 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,679,911,000 after acquiring an additional 40,992 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $1,208,610,000 after acquiring an additional 28,626 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 8.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 42,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 324,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $336,956,000 after buying an additional 12,805 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW opened at $999.11 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,061.50 and its 200-day moving average is $1,075.91. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market cap of $48.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on GWW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,148.56.

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.