W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) Shares Purchased by State Street Corp

State Street Corp grew its position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,997,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,369 shares during the period. State Street Corp’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $2,074,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 1,201.6% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger by 280.4% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,621 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,932 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 7.2% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 8,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,518,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 87.1% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 36,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,316,000 after purchasing an additional 17,195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 27,502 shares of W.W. Grainger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.82, for a total value of $27,524,551.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 111,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,650,478.38. The trade was a 19.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Deidra C. Merriwether sold 704 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,105.59, for a total value of $778,335.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,513,055.31. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,900 shares of company stock valued at $52,640,733. 9.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.W. Grainger Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE GWW opened at $1,188.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a one year low of $800.97 and a one year high of $1,227.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,126.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,011.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.88 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.16.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.98 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $4.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.40 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 51.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 38.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Loop Capital upped their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of W.W. Grainger to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,109.00.

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.