Aviso Financial Inc. Purchases 37 Shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW)

Aviso Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the quarter. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $1,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. LBP AM SA boosted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 127.6% during the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 2,954 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,114,000 after acquiring an additional 1,656 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,839,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 140,047 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $148,199,000 after buying an additional 30,886 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GWW shares. William Blair raised shares of W.W. Grainger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $990.00 to $1,215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of W.W. Grainger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,113.00 to $1,112.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,151.50.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $968.06 on Friday. The company 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. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12-month low of $874.98 and a 12-month high of $1,227.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,046.85 and its 200-day moving average is $1,075.29. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.75 by ($0.04). W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 52.43% and a net margin of 11.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.33 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $2.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. 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.