Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. Has $15.30 Million Stock Holdings in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,515 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 782 shares during the period. W.W. Grainger makes up 2.1% of Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $15,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after buying an additional 36,892 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 225.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 78 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in W.W. Grainger in the 3rd quarter valued at $362,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter worth $717,000. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger in the third quarter worth $284,000. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on GWW shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 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 cut W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

NYSE:GWW opened at $968.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,046.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,075.29. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a twelve month low of $874.98 and a twelve month high of $1,227.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 52.43%. During the same period last year, the business earned $8.33 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders 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 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is 21.18%.

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.