Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Position in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,284 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 416 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $6,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. United Community Bank boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 459,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $491,170,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 205.3% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 124.2% in the fourth quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 21,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,255,000 after purchasing an additional 11,694 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.4 %

GWW opened at $967.57 on Thursday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $874.98 and a 12 month high of $1,227.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market cap of $46.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,050.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,076.17.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $8.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $2.05 dividend. This represents a $8.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. W.W. Grainger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on GWW. William Blair raised W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,125.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on W.W. Grainger in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,280.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger 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.