Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Has $61.97 Million Stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 42.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,605 shares during the quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $61,971,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 119.5% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 2,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 36.6% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 2,548 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in W.W. Grainger by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 108,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,272,000 after purchasing an additional 6,197 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 59,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,857,000 after buying an additional 6,042 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total transaction of $467,667.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,691,289.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $978.00 to $972.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Baird R W cut W.W. Grainger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,014.11.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

GWW opened at $988.64 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $956.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $954.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.16. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $674.41 and a 12-month high of $1,034.18.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. W.W. Grainger’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.71 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

About W.W. Grainger

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.