New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 893 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,030 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 893 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $46,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWW. Creative Planning raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,560 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its stake in W.W. Grainger by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 193,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $201,413,000 after purchasing an additional 36,892 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Good Life Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $374,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

GWW opened at $1,027.68 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,086.13 and a 200 day moving average of $1,070.21. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52-week low of $874.98 and a 52-week high of $1,227.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $50.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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. UBS Group assumed coverage on 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. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $900.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Northcoast Research initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.